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“ The Last Journey” (Manazile Akherah)

Shaikh Ab ba s bin Moha mm ad Reza Al-Qumm i translato r: Ae jazAli Turab husa in Bujwa la (Hussa ini)



Transla to r's INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER -1- THE RETURNING (MA'AD )1- Is a p erson's bod y effec ted a fter dea th?

2- Drea ms (Ru'ya )3- Death (Ma ut)4- Sep a ra tion o f the Sp irit (Roo h) from the bod y5- Love of wo rld6- Friend ship with d ea th7- Relating to the rem ova l of the Sp irit and it's ha rd ships (Sakarat )8- Those d ee ds who se performa nc e ea ses d ea th9- Those A 'ma l whic h p rove b enefic ia l during d ea th a nd ea ses it's

tribulations10- Turning a wa y from the Right pa th d uring d ea th11- Those a c ts which p rove bene fic ia l d uring the d ea th12- Inc ide nt - 113- Inc ide nt - 214- From Dea th t ill Grave

CHAPTER -II- THE GRAVE (QABR)1- Terror of the Grave

2- Those d ee ds whic h a re b enefic ia l for ward ing off fea r of theGrave

3- Narrowness of and squee ze in the Grave (Fisha re G a br)Reasons for the Sq ueeze in the G rave4- Do peo ple who are drowned or are hanged have to fac e the

Squeeze in the Gra ve?6- Those A 'ma l which saves one from the Sq uee ze in the Grave7- Que stioning in the by Munkir & Na keer8- Ad monition

9- Inc ide nt - 110- Inc ide nt - 2

CHAPTER -III- INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (BARZAKH)1- The sta te of the bod y in Ba rza kh2- The p eriod of Ba rzakh and the bod y3- Diffic ulty of Impression a nd Effec ts

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4- Incident5- The p lea sures in Barzakh a re no t p erisha b le6- The effe c ts of the sp irit(Roo h)on the bod y and it's rela tion w ith

Grave7- The Valley o f p ea c e (Wad i-us-Sa lam )8- The Valley o f p unishment (Wad i-e-Barhoot )

9- Those A 'ma l which p rove he lpful for the peo p le in Barza kh10- Inc ide nt-111- Inc ide nt-212- Inc ide nt-313- Inc ide nt-414- Inc ide nt-5

CHAPTER-IV- RESURRECTION (QAYAMAT)

1- Those A 'ma l whic h ea ses the troub le o f Qa yam at2- The Trumpet o f Israfeel (Soore Israfeel)3-Resurrection (Qayamat)

CHAPTER -V- COMING OUT FROM THE GRAVE1- Those A 'ma l which a re useful for the p eo p le in the Qa yam at2- Facts regarding Resurrection (Qayamat)3- Tha t d ay will be e qua l to 50000 yea rs

CHAPTER-VI- SCROLL OF DEEDS (NAME A'AMAL)1- Co me a nd rea d my Sc rolls"2- Refusa l to a c c ep t the Sc rolls3- Angels ta ke the Sc rolls to the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) and the Holy

Aimma h (A.S.)

CHAPTER-VII- `WEIGHING SCALES (MEEZAN)1- Merits of Sa law at

Narra tion's of the Go od c ha ra c ter (Husni Kha lq )2- Narra tion 13- Narra tion 24- Narra tion 3Inc ident s of G oo d Cha rac ter (Husne Kha lq )5- Inc ide nt -16- Inc ide nt -2







































































7- Inc ide nt -38- Inc ide nt -4

CHAPTER-VIII- ACCOUNTING (HISAB)1- Who will ta ke the Ac c ounting?2- Whose Ac c ount w ill be ta ken?3- Wasting of Go od dee d s (Ehb a t) a nd Exp iation of sins (Ta kfeer)4- Inc ide nt o f Ehb a t a (Takfeer)5- Question a bo ut de ed s6- Rights of Allah o r the worship Ac ts (Ha qulla h Ib ad ah)7- Rights of peo p le (Haq uqun Naa s)8- Inc ide nt -19- Inc ide nt -2

CHAPTER-IX-SPRING OF KAUSAR (HAWZE KAUSAR)1- Ma nifesta tion o f the High Honour of Ahlulba it (A.S.)2- The Sta nd a rd of Praise (Liwa ul Ha md )3- Ali (A.S.) will be the Distributo r of Kausa r (saq iye ka usar)4- The Pulp it o f Pra ise (Ma qame Ma hmo od )5- Ali (A.S.) will b e Distributo r of Hea ven & he ll (Ka see mul Janna te

wa Nar )6- Inte rce ssion (Sha fa 'a t)Who will be Interced ed for?8- Heights (A'araf)

CHAPTER-X- BRIDGE OF SERAT (POOLE SERAT)1- 1st. p a ss: kind ness (Sile Ra hm a ), Trust (Ama na h), Love of Ahlulba it

(A.S.) (Walayah)2- 2nd . pa ss Nama z. (Sa lat ) Rea sons for the Squeeze in the Grave4- 4th. Pa ss.- Fasting (Sa um )5- 5th.Pa ss- p ilg rima ge (Haj)

6- 6th. Pa ss.- Clea nliness (Taha ra)7- 7th. Pa ss.-Rights (Ma za lim)8- Incident9- Those A'ma l which p rove he lpful to p ass over the p oo le sera t

easily

CHAPTER- XI- HELL (DOZAKH)







































































1- Foo d & Drink of the Peo p le of he ll2- Clothes of the Peo p le of he ll3- Hand Cuffs and Sha c kles of the Peo p le of he ll.4- Bed s of the peo p le o f hell.5- Kee pers of the hell.6- Ga tes of the he ll.

7- Related to the severity o f the Punishm ent in hell

CHAPTER-XII-PARADISE (JANNAT)1- Kingd om of p a ra d ise2- Vastness of Pa rad ise3- Food of Parad ise4- Drink of Parad ise5- Dresses & O rnam ents of the Peop le in Pa rad ise

6- Pla c es of Parad ise and their ad ornment7- Roo ms of the Pa ra d ise a nd their bea utifica tion8- Cup s of Parad ise9- Houries a nd Wom a n of Parad ise10- Perfumes of Paradise11- La mps of Pa ra d ise12- Song s of Parad ise13- Blessing a nd Plea sures of Pa rad ise

CHAPTER-XIII- INCIDENTS OF GOD FEARING PERSONS1- Inc ide nt -12- Inc ide nt -23- Co nd itions for Rep enta nc e (Tawb a h)4- Sins whic h nee d rep enta nc e5- Inc ide nt --3:6- Inc ide nt --4:7- Inc ide nt --5

8- Tra d ition of Ab u Da rda a nd supp lic a tion (Muna jat) o f Ali (A.S)

CHAPTER-XIV- ALLEGORIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF THE BELIEVERS1- Alleg ory -12- Alleg ory -23- (Coup lets)4- Alleg ory -3









































































5- Alleg ory -46- Ima m Ja'fa r as-Sa d iq (A.S.) and His slave7- Alleg ory -5

THE LAST JOURNEY TRANSLATION OF MANAZILE AKHERAH

BY: SHAIKH ABBAS QUMM I

Praise be to Allah with all the hymns by which He is praised by the Angels who arenearest to Him, by His creatures who are most honorable in His sight, and by thoseadorers who are best approved by Him. A praise that excels all praise in the sameway as the Lord excels all His creatures. And blessings be on His Messenger, the

Prophet of Mercy, and on His Progeny who are lanterns of darkness and brilliantminarets of Religion a nd high sta nd a rd s of g rea tne ss.

Translator's Note:

Whatever comes into existence must traverse a path leading to death, it makes nod ifference w hethe r it b e a ma n or one of the othe r c ountless forms of life. Alla h saysin the Qur'an : 'Every one on it shall perish, But will remain for ever the Face of thy Lord, the Glorious, the Gracious" (Sura h-al-Ra hma n : 25-26). Allah ha s c rea ted ma nfor a purpose, but unfortunately, many people do not seem to realize this fact andeven if they do, they cannot be bothered. In fact, they appear to have beenc onvinc ed that this life is nothing b ut a plac e to have fun and enjoyme nt as muc has possible because once you die, that is the end of it. But they fail to understandtha t life b eg ins not in this world but a fter dea th. The few yea rs of life in this world , isnothing but a preparation for the eternal life. However, we need to bear in mindthat our whole life depends on how well we prepare ourselves during the few yearshere, to submit o r rejec t, to b elieve or de ny, to ob ey o r refuse.

The Co mma nd er of the Fa ithful (Am irul Mo'm ene en) Ali (A.S.) sa ys , If you c ould seethat has been seen by those of you who have died, you would be puzzled andtroub led. Then you would ha ve listened and ob eye d, but wha t they ha ve seen is yetc urtained from you. Shortly, the c urtain would be thrown off. You ha ve b een shown,

provided you see a nd yo u have b een m ad e to listen provided you listen, and youhave been guided if you ac c ept guidanc e" . (Nahjul Ba lag ha : Sermon 20).

Man's heart never ceases to desire as long as he is in this world. Nonetheless, beliefin the Hereafter will permit him to realize that the opportunities offered by this worlda re limited , tha t the g a in to b e ha d from it is very slight, that even the portion w hic hlies within rea c h c anno t b e reta ined for ever, and that d elight and pleasure a re notrestricted to the brief days here on earth. He will not be overcome every instantthen, b y a n end less surge of d esire, c a using him to form c ountless a tta c hme nts and










ultimately to lose himself, nor will he be excessively troubled if he does not acquirea n excessive amount of b ounties of th is world a nd the p lea sures the y yield . Tod a ywe clearly observe that material gains have taken priortty over virtue. Man hasabandoned religion and is fastly advancing towards vice & evil. Man's forgettingdeath and the day of Resurrection (Qayamat) is the sole reason for making himunmindful about his deeds (A'amal). On the other hand, remembrance of deatha nd the Day o f Resurrec tion (Qa yam a t) frees ma n from the a bsolute atta c hment to

the perisha b le va lues of this wo rld. The eleva ting tranq uility tha t results from suc h a norientation of the spirit gives man the ability to resist firmly the attractions of thewo rld and the d em and s of the passiona te self (nafs).

The Co mmand er of the fa ithful Ali (A.S.) says , "O people what I fear most about youare 2 things: ac ting a c c ording to d esires and extend ing of hop es. As reg ards ac tingaccording to desires, this prevents from truth: and as regards extending of hopes, itma kes one forget the ne xt world. You should k now this world is mo ving rap idly a ndnothing has remained out of it except last particles like the remnants of a vesselwhich has bee n emp tied b y som eone.

Bew are, the ne xt world is adva nc ing. Tod a y is the d ay of a c tion and there is noreckoning, while tomorrow is the day of reckoning but there would be no(op portunity for) ac tion".

Ima m Ja far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) says a bout t he e ffec ts of reme mbering d ea th a nd theResurrection Day: (1) It's remembrance suppresses the inordinate desires, (2) Ituproots the very founda tion of negligence & a pa thy, (3) With the remind ing of Allah'spromise, it strengthens man's heart, (4) It softens the hard mentality of man, (5) It

demolishes the banners of inordinate desires & transgression, (6) It suppresses theevil of greed iness and ma kes the wo rld humble b efore one's eye s.

The visit to the g raves is henc e rec om me nded so tha t we should b e reminde d of ourdeath. We all know that during day & night we recite the following Qur'anic Verse(Ayah) several times in our daily Prayers (Namaz) so that we are reminded of theResurrec tion Day "Ma ster of the da y o f Resurrec tion Surah-al-Hamd : 4). A uniqueand valuable advantage enjoyed by the one who accepts the principle of ana fterlife is tha t his a ttitude to ma teria l enjoym ents will never be the sa me a s tha t o fthe hasty person who is in a state of constant anxiety and agitation lest his

possessions not last him until death. It is only for those who worship this world thatmaterial possessions count as a goal in themselves, those who are advancingtow a rds the a bod e o f ete rnity use the bounties of this wo rld as a mea ns for atta ininglofty g oa l.

Imam Ja'far far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) says,"The life of ma n does not a mount to more than an instant. What is pa ssed is nownon- existent, you d o not fell it's p leasure or pain. As for wha t is ye t to com e, you donot kno w wha t it is. The true and p rec ious c apita l of your life a re those few instants



you presently enjoy . Master then, your soul, and strive to redeem y ourself and a ttainsalva tion, be stea dfast in enduring the rigor of worshipping Allah and ob eying Hisc om mand me nts, and p reserve yourself from the po llution of sin and disob ed ienc eto Allah." (a l Kafi).

Those trad ers who think of the ir future d eb ts a nd lia bilities, sta rt saving som ething

from the b eg inning. Simila rly those p eop le w ho a re c onc erned a bo ut d ea th a ndQa yam at from tod ay g ive up their ba d de ed s and start performing nob le d eed s soa s to p resent the m o n the Resurrec tion Day.

The b oo k "MA NAZILE AKHERAH" is written b y the g rea t Trad itionist, (Muha d d ith)Sha ikh Ab ba s Bin Mo hamm ad Reza Qum mi, who wa s the stud ent o f the Ce leb ra tedSc holar Mirza Husa in Noorie He wa s born in Qum in the yea r 1294 A.H. Ma ny g rea tUla ma s like Aq a Buzurgh Tehrani, Ayatullah Sha ikh Moha mmad Ha ssa n Aa le KashifalGhita , Sa yyed Ab d ul Husa in Sha ra fud ee n Musawi etc . were his fellow stud ents.Being a zealous and an enthusiastic seeker of knowledge, he was held dear by histeacher Mirza Husain Noori, who loved him more than any of his other students.Sha ikh Qummi has autho red ma ny useful a nd imp ortant b oo ks viz "Safee na tul Bihar","Munta ha l Aa ma l", "Ma fa tee hul Jinan" the fa mo us boo k of supp lic a tions (dua 's) etc .He w a s an expert in the kno wled ge o f Tra d itions (Aha dee s), Biogra phies (Rija a l),Histo ry (Taree kh) and lives of Aimm ah (A.S.) (See ra te Ma soo mee n). Muha d d ithQum mi left for the e ternal ab od e in the yea r 1359 A.H. Wisd om (Hikma h) of Ahlulba it(A.S.).

The p resent b oo k is transla ted from the 2nd Ed ition of the urd u translation b yMaulana Ghulam Husain Mazhar, in which the translator has added some quotesta ken from boo ks like Ma 'ad b y Aya tulla h Da sta gha ib Shirazi, Khazee na tul Jawa her,

Ehsanul Fa wa ed , Ta fsee re Umda tul Ba ya n, Biharul Anwar, Tafsee re Anw are Naja fetc. Which I too have included in my present translation for further explanation ofthe sub jec t.

I have taken up the translation of the above book with the sole intention ofenjoining goo d (Amr bil Ma 'roo f) and wa rning aga inst ev il (Nahi anil Munkar). I hop ethe readers will gain benefit from it and prepare themselves, and collect provisionsfor the la st journey - ete rna l and perpe tua l.

Last a nd forem ost, ma y Allah shower upo n Mo ha mma d (S.A.W.S) and his Prog enyHis Blessings befitting their distinction as reward for their actions and suitable to thechastity of their lineage. And his Special Blessings on His Last Deputy and HisRem a ning Emissa ry, the Expec ted Ma hdi (May Allah ha sten his g la d advent).

Ae jazAli Turab Husain Bhujwala (Husainee )Bom ba y, India.15 Zilqada 1418 / 15 Marc h 1998



- 1 -

CHAPTER-I

THE RETURNING (MA'AD)

Ma'ad is derived from the root word Aud which means to return. Hence, thereturning of the spirit (rooh) back to it's body is called Ma'ad. Ma'ad is one of thefunda me nta l princ ipa ls of Islamic faith a nd belief in it is incum bent upon a ll muslims.After death every soul shall arise to see the reward or retribution ( as the case maybe) of the ir dee d s.

Ma 'ad c onsists of sta ges Dea th (Ma ut), Gra ve (Qab r), Inte rmed iate Sta ge (Ba rzakh),Resurrection (Qayamat) and Paradise (Jannat) or hell (jahannam). Ma'ad can notbe perceived by the five senses of man, but can be comprehended by reasoninga lone. What ha ppens a fter dea th? The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) throug h the med iumof Revelation (Wahy) has explained to us in detail regarding it. Man's senses has it'sown limitations beyond which it is not possible for him to understand. For example achild in the mother's womb can not perceive the vastness of the outside world. Inthe same manner, a soul captivated by the influences of matter can not easilyund ersta nd the hidd en w orld and it's rea lities. The knowled ge o f this unsee n world isconcealed from man and he can only understand it through the medium of theHoly Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) and his Viceg erents, the Holy Aimmah (A.S.). Henc e to havea be tter co mp rehension o f the he rea fter, we have to rely totally upo n Them ,bec ause They are the Inheritors of the knowled ge o f Alla h and His Hidd en Wisdom .

Is a person's body effected after death? Many are of the opinion that after deathman's body becomes an absolute nothing like a dry wood, hence the question ofrec koning in the g rave d oe s not a rise.Suc h doub ts a re the out c om e o f shee rignoranc e a nd la c k of b elief in the unsee n (Gha ib). Sp ee c h is the e ffec t of thetongue and movements are impressions of a living body. But the spirit (rooh) ismotionless and is hence independent of movements. whilst dreaming a man'stongue or his lips do not move, and a person awake will bear witness to it. Afterawakening the person will narrate the discussions he had with people, he will alsoc la im to have travelled far off c ities, but his bod y in reality ha ving la id mo tionless on

the b ed a ll throug hout the night.

Imam Mo osa -al-Kazim (A.S.) sta tes tha t in the former pa rt o f c rea tion, ma n d id notdream. Allah sent upon the people His Apostle to guide them towards virtue andwa rn a ga inst evil. The Prop het advised them tha t if they follow ed the Right Pa th a s

Dreams (Ru'ya):

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preached by Him, they would be successful and be rewarded in Paradise. But ifthey e rred a nd d id no t a void sin, they wo uld fac e t ribula tion in hell. They a sked theProp het a s to how c ould they rely on som ething w hic h they ha d never see n. Theysaid that they observed that after death a man's body become motionless andturns into dust, how could then he be rewarded or chastised for his actions. It is afterthis incident that they started dreaming in which they witnessed Allah's rewards inPa ra d ise a nd His wa th in hell. They w ent to the Prop het a nd na rra ted this to him. The

Prophet replied that as in the dreams they met people, conversed with them, andvisited far off plac es, a fter d ea th even if their bod ies wo uld be reduc ed to d ust, theywo uld still ta ste c ha stisem ent or rew ard (a s the c a se m ay be) in Pa ra d ise o r hell.

Sc holars d iffer reg a rd ing the e xp la na tion o f de a th. Som e c a ll it a c ontinuousphenomenon (Amre Wujoodi, not the end of life), while others opine that it isterminal one (Amre Ad a mi, the end o f life). But the g enera lly exc ep ted fac t is tha t itis purely a bodily affair. Regarding death it is said that, "It is a continuous processa nd the vice versa to life". The Holy Qur'an sa ys. Blessed is He in whose hand is the kingdom (of the heavens and the earth), and He has power over all things, Who c rea ted d ea th and life that He m ay try yo u, (to p rove) which of you is be st in deed s". (Sura h-al Mulk: 1-2) The above ve rse (Ayah) refe rs to the purpose o f the c rea tion o flife a nd de a th. Non e xistenc e is not the essenc e o f c rea tion. If d ea th ha d be en a nending process, the word "Khaliq" (Creation) would not have been used. Death inreality is the divorce of the spirit (rooh) from the body, and can be illustrated bymany examples. It can be compared to a sailor estranged from his wrecked ship.The sp irit is a light w hich illuminates the da rk bo dy and its c om ponents d erive bene fitfrom it. Whereas death is the estranger of this light from the body, leaving it again indarkness. It is not true that the spirit enters the body, because it is free of enter andexit. It shares a limited relation with the body, after which it leaves the body forimmortality. In short, the detachment of the spirit (Rooh) from the body is calleddeath (Maut). It is incumbent upon us to believe that death is a phenomenon solelygoverned by the will and command of Almighty Allah only, and He maintains therelation of the spirit to the body from mother's womb till the end. He is the Creator(Kha liq) of a ll things, and the Giver of life a nd dea th. The Holy Qu'ran says : "Allah takes the spirits (Rooh) at the time of their death" (Sura h-a z-Zum a r : 42). Someigno rant pe op le a re of the op inion tha t the Ange l of de at h (Izrae el) is an evil d emo n

a nd a n ene my w ho e stra nge s us from our child ren a nd orpha ns them . But the rea lityis that he acts in accordance to the command of Allah only and has no personaloptions.

Dea th (Maut):

Separation of the Spirit (Rooh) from the Body:



It is narrated in the tradition of Me'raj that a plank is placed in front of Izraeel, onwhich names of all creatures are written. When Allah wills death of any one of Hiscreatures, the name on the plank disappears, and Izraeel does the needful. It ispossible that at one time death of more than one creature may be ordained. Justas many candles can be extinguished in a single puff, more than one spirit can berem ove d tog ethe r. Surely Allah is the giver of d ea th a s sta ted in the Qur'a n, "Say (O Prophet) the Angel of death who is given charge of you shall cause you to die.

(Surah-as-Sa jda h: 11) In a nothe r verse it is sta ted . "Those whom the Ang els c ause to die while they a re unjust to them selves". (Surah-an-Nahl: 28)

Izraeel and his comrade Angels have been assigned the job of removing the spiritsof c rea tures. An army w hic h follow s the c om ma nd s of the ir king and c onq uers c ities,it is sa id tha t the sa id a rmy ha s c onquered the sa id c ities, but in reality it is the resultof the king's military tacts & warfare. Many examples can be given to prove thea bo ve, but the fa c t is that it is be yond c om pa rison.

As Allah has created this world as a house of causes (Darul Asbab), He has alsocreated a cause for death. Disease, murder, accident etc. are some of it's causes.These ac t a s rea sons for the a pproa c h o f d ea th, if not there a re insta nc es of p ersonswho rec over even a fte r a serious illness, while som e d ie in a b link of a n e ye. Thesec a uses also d o no t have a n inde pe nde nt op tion, unless a ttested b y the c om ma nda nd will of the A lmighty.

Sp irits of som e m en a re remove d w ith ea se while som e experienc e seve re d ifficulty.It is narrated in traditions (Ahadees) that during death some people feel as if theirbody is being cut asunder by scissors, or are being grinded in a mill, while some feelas if smelling the fragrance of a rose. It is stated in the Qur'an : "Those w hom the Ange ls c ause to d ie in a good state, say ing - Pea c e be on you, enter the ga rden (of

Paradise) for what you did". (Surah-an-Nahl: 32). It is no t nec essa ry tha t the spirits ofall believers (Mo'mineen) are removed easily. Even a believer who has done goodd ee ds in his life time experienc es d iffic ulty during d ea th. This a c ts as the punishmentfor sins he committed for which he is atoned for in this very world. While for a non -believe r this d iffic ulty is an extra punishme nt o f Allah fo llow ed by the one s to c om ein the Hereafter. "But how w ill it be w hen the Ang els c ause them to d ie smiting their backs". (Surah-a l-Moha mma d : 27) It is a lso p ossible tha t a non-be liever ma y notexperience difficulty during death, this acts as reward for the good deeds he hascommitted which is compensated in this very world, leaving their scrolls of deed ofany reward. In reality death is an unfortunate event for a non-believer even though

he dies in comfort, while it is a blessing and felicity for a believer even though heexperiences difficulty during it.

Love of world:

Ha tred tow ards de ath a nd love of the wo rld is the o utco me of a n ignorant p erson's mind,wh o thinks tha t the ha p p iness of th is wo rld is his p rosp erity a nd goo d fortune . The wo rldsated with numerous troubles and anxieties is out to end in misery & does not enjoy eternity,



p erpe tuity and since rity. A po et ha s refe rred to this in the follow ing words - "Do not g ive yourheart to this world, for it's example is of an unfaithful bride who has never loved you, evenfor a night". The Holy Qur'a n sa ys tha t the love of t his wo rld is on e o f the c ha ra c te ristics ofthe disbelievers ." (the d isbe lievers) a re plea sed with this wo rld's life a nd are c ontent w ith it". (Surah -Yunus : 71) In another place it is stated. "Are y ou c ontend ed with the life of this world instead of the Hereafter" (Surah-al-Bara'at : 38). For the jews it is said. " (Every one of them loves that he should be granted a life of a thousand years" (Surah-a 1-Ba q a rah : 96) The rea re m a ny t ra d itions d etesting the love of world . The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, "Verily thelove of this world is the roo t--c ause of eve ry evil".

Friend ship with d ea th:

It is of utmost importance that man should hold death dear and consider it anop portunity of m ee ting with his Almighty, a nd not ha te it and c onsider it a s evil, butshould ta ke lessons from it. He should a sk forgiveness from Allah for his sins and ta methe reb ellious self (na fs). When the c a ll of h is Lord c om es, he should w elc om e it w ithopen arms accepting it to be a blessing from Allah. He should be contented with

the d ec ree (Qa dr) of Allah. He should a lso rejoice tha t shortly he wo uld be ta ken tothe p resenc e o f Ahlulba it (A.S.) a nd me et his de c ea sed c om pa nions and otherbeliever brothers. He should also not be disheartened by the delay in death butshould c onsider it a s a n op p ortunity a fford ed by Alla h to him to rep ent. This delaywould give him a chance to gather provisions useful for his journey to the otherwo rld, for the journey is tiresom e a nd full of d a ng erous va lleys & d ifficult p a ths.

Relating to the Removal of the Spirit and it's Hardships (Sakarat):

"And the stupor of de ath will com e in truth, that is wha t you w ere trying o f esc ap e". (Surah-al-Qa f : 19). This sta ge is full of d iffic ulties & t roub les. On one ha nd a manfee ls p a in, his tongue turns mot ionless, his b od ily c om ponent scease to function, while on the other hand weeping & wailing of relatives, grief oftheir separation, orphaning of children, and the sorrow of leaving behind hardlyea rned we a lth and e normous p rop erty for others to fea st upo n. The w ea lth whichwa s som et imes ga thered by usurpa tion or through illicit me a ns. The d ying m anremembers his sins and regrets, but alas, the time (to repent) has passed anda c c ounts c losed . Am irul Mo 'me nee n (A.S.) sa ys , "He (the dying person) regrets overhis wealth which he gathered bearing hardships, and now he is being separatedfrom it, leaving it to be feasted upon by his inheritors. His hard earned wealth is left

for the use of others." The d ying person fe els sc a red , for he is about to enter anunknown & unexplored wo rld , and is a ll the m ore freighte d whe n he witnesses thosethings which a re tot a lly new to him. The Holy Qur'an says, "Certainly you were heedless of it, but now we have removed from you your veil, so your sight today is sharp". (Sura h-al-Qa f: 22) He feels the p resenc e of Ang els a round him a nd wo ndersabout what is in store for him. It has been narrated in traditions (Ahadees) that atthe time of d ea th, the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) and the Holy Aimmah (A.S.) co menear the head of the dying person, who is able to see them. It is narrated in thirdvolume of 'Bihar-al-Anwar' tha t o nc e Ima m Ali-a r-Reza (A.S.) went to me et one of his



c om pa nions (sa hab i) who w a s a bout to d ie. He looked tow ards the Imam (A.S.)a nd sa id , "I see the rad iant fac es of your Grandfa ther (the Holy Prophe t), Your Father(the Com ma nder of the faithful), Your Mother (Hazrat Fatem a), a nd the other Ima msin Your Ancestry. I also see your luminous face along with them" . It is a fact thateve ry dying ma n ha s a g limpse o f the Aimm a h (A.S.), ac c ording to his love for andknowledge of them. For a believer (mo'min) their sight is a blessing from Allah, andfor a hyp oc rite (muna fiq) a nd d isbelieve r it is a sign o f Allah's wra th. In the Sa lutat ion

(Ziarat ) of Am irul Mo'me neen Ali (A.S.) we utte r these w ords:

The d ying m a n is c onfused , bec a use o n one ha nd sa ta n (sha ita a n) with hisc om pa nions tries ha rd to sp oil his faith (Eem an), a nd on the othe r ha nd the thoug htof the a rriva l of the Ang el of d ea th m akes him a ll the m ore p uzzled . He w ond ers a sto in what state would he (the Angel of death) come and how would his spirit berem oved . The C om mand er of the fa ithful Ali (A.S.) sa ys , "And when the signs ofde ath ap proac hes, he knows not what will be fall him."

Sha ikh Kulaini narra tes from Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) who sa id tha t onc e Ha zra tAli (;A.S.) was suffe ring from the a ilment o f the eye. The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.)c a me to inquire a bout his hea lth. He saw tha t Ali (A.S.) wa s in intense pa in and wa srestless bec ause of it. The Prop het asked him, "Is this a nxiety the outc om e of theailment"? Hazrat Ali (A.S.) replied that , "I had never witnessed such a pain before". The Holy Prop het (to c onsole him) sa id "O Ali! when the Angel of death comes totake the spirit of the disbe liever,he b rings along with him a c lub o f fire, by which herem oves his spirit and the flames of hell sc rea m at the dy ing m an". The Com ma nde rof the believe rs sa t up right a nd sa id , "O Prophet! Please explain to me the tradition(hadees), for I do not fell the pain anymore. Will the spirit of anyone from amongyour umm at be rem oved in the sam e m anner"? The Holy Prophe t rep lied , 'Yes, threetype s of pe rsons from am ong my umm at too will be subjec ted to this punishme nt (1)An o ppressive (Zalim) ruler, (2) Those who unjustly usurp the rights of orpha ns, and(3) The bea rer of fa lse witness".

Man due to difficulty or ease during death also sees the effects of his good or badd ee ds which he c om mitted . There are also som e who turn ap osta tes during de a thdue to some of their bad deeds . "Then evil was the end o f those w ho d id evil,because they rejected the communications of Allah and used to mock them". (Sura h-ar-Roo m : 10) It ha s a lso b ee n na rra ted tha t d uring d ea th (sa karat ) or

afterwards, the following persons should not be near the dying man: a woman inmenses (Haiz) or Istahaza (irregular period), and a polluted (Junoob) person,bec ause the Blessed Ang els go awa y a nd the d ying ma n fa lls in troub le. Sha ikhSa dooq in his book Ilalush Sha ra ye' quo te s Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) as sa ying,tha t wom a n in m enses (Haiz) or a p olluted person (Junoob ) should no t rem ain nea rthe d ying p erson, be c ause the Ange ls feel disgusted be c a use o f it a nd go aw ay.

In the boo k 'Da rus Sa laa m', the grea t sc holar Sayyed Murtaza Najafi quo tes: Onc ea n extrem e e pide mic broke in Ira q and Ara bia. I wa s sea ted in the c ourtyard of the



Shrine o f the Co mma nd er of the fa ithful Ali (A.S.) with a d istinguished Sc holar (Aa lim)Sa yyed Mo ha mmad Ba qir Qa zwini. He was d istributing w ork for serving the e ffec tedpe op le a mo ng us, when we sa w a youth who wa s sta nding in the last rank a nd wa sstrugg ling to c om e ne a r the Sayyed , but c ould not d o so be c ause o f imm ensec row d Sudd enly he started wa iling a loud , the Sa yyed loo ked at him and told m e toinquire the m atter from him. I we nt to him a nd a sked him the rea son fo r we ep ing . Herep lied , "I desire tha t if I d ie in the ep idemic, the Sa yyed should rec ite the Pra yer

(Namaze Mayyit) over my dead body individually and not combined as he does(due to m a ny dea ths in the ep ide mic). I returned to the Sa yyed a nd na rra ted thematter to him. He promised to fulfill his desire. Next day we saw an infant child whoc a me c rying to us. When we inquired of him he a nswe red tha t he was the son o f theyouth who had c om e us yesterd ay w ith a d esire. lie to ld us that he ha d be c om e thevictim of epidemic and was about to die, and he was desirous of meeting theSa yyed. Som e o f us ac c om pa nied Sayyed Moha mm a d Baq ir to m eet the d yingma n. On the w ay w e m et a pious ma n who wa s c om ing o ut of his house. When hesaw us he saluted saluted us, and asked us, as to where we were going. Weanswered that we were going to visit a believer who was in his last moments. Withpermission he accompanied us in order to share the reward (sawab). When wec a me to the house, Sa yyed Moha mm ad Ba qir entered the roo m first, then o ne a fterthe othe r we ente red there in. The d ying ma n wa s p lea sed a nd signa lled us to sit. Assoon a s the p ious ma n who had me t us on the wa y entered, the d ying ma n's c olourchanged. His face turned pale and in rage signalled him to go away. He becamerestless as if som e t roub le ha d befa llen him. We we re a ll the m ore surp rised when w elea rnt that the d ying m an d id no t even know him, whom we c ould a ssume to be hisene my. The m an excused himself and w ent out b ut returned b ac k a fter som etime .This time when he e ntered , the d ying p erson w a s p lea sed a nd w elco me d him. Aftersometime we took permission to leave. On the way we asked the pious man therea son for the sudd en c hang e in the a ttitude of the dying ma n. He replied that hewa s in the sta te of p ollution (Junoo b ), and wa s lea ving his house with the intentionof performing ceremonial bath (Ghusle janabat) in the public bath. He met us onthe way, and not wanting to miss the opportunity of performing this noble taskaccompanied us. He said that when he first entered the house and saw the dyingma n's restlessness, he und erstood and left . To make himself sure he returned ba c kafter having performed the ceremonial bath (Ghusle Janabat). He concluded thatthe dying man had come to know about his impurity because the blessed Angelsha d left him a nd he felt imm ense p a in. (Kha zee na tul Jawa her)

Sha ikh Sad oo q q uotes from Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t he sa id , "1f a personwishes that his last moments should be easy, he should maintain cordial relationswith his kith & kin, and be kind to his pa rents. Whoever do es so, de ath will be ea sed ,and he will never fall prey to m isfortunes in his lifetime".

Those Deed s Whose Performanc e Eases Death:



It is na rra ted tha t onc e the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) went to see a youth who w as inhis la st mom ents. He to ld him to rec ite Ka lam ae Tawhee d (There is no G od butAllah), but they youth could not utter it because his tongue had turned speechless.The Prop het repea ted his order but with no a wa il. He repe a ted it twic e b ut theyouth c ould no t answe r. The Prop het turned tow a rd s a w om an who w a s sa t nea rthe youth's hea d a nd a sked her if she w a s his mother. She rep lied in affirmative. Hethe n asked her if she w a s unha ppy with her son. She a nswe red tha t she w as

certainly unhappy, but would forgive him if the Prophet commanded her to do so.The Prop het to ld her to forgive him. As soo n a s she forga ve, the yo uth's spee c hreturned a nd he rec ited the 'Ka lem a '. The Prop het a sked him a s to w ha t he sa w. Hea nswe red that he saw a n ugly loo king m a n who ha d he ld him by the nec k, a nd w a strying to stra ngle him. The Prop het told him to rec ite the follow ing :

When he did so, the Prophet asked him as to what he saw now. He answered thathe saw that a handsome man had come to his rescue while the ugly man hadturned ba c k. The Prop het ordered him to rec ite the a bo ve d u'a a ga in and a fterhaving d one so a sked him wha t he saw . He replied that the ug ly ma n ha d left, andthe handsome youth was there by his side comforting him. He uttered these wordsa nd b rea thed his last. The a bove na rra tion should be und erstood we ll, and lessonshould b e lea rnt tha t p a rents's d isp lea sure bec om es the rea son for ang uish in de a th.Even a fter be ing a c om pa nion (Sa hab i) of the Prop het, and the Prop het b eingpresent b esides him, the youth c ould no t rec ite the 'kalema ' and wa s in ag ony till hismo ther forga ve him.

Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys , "For a person who gives clothes to his brotherbeliever during the summer or in winter, it is incumbent upon Allah to present thedress of Paradise to him, make his end easy, and save him from the narrowness ofthe grave." The Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.) says , "A person who offers to eat somethingswee t to his brother believer, the p ang s of de ath will be ea sy on him".

UThose A 'mal whic h Prove Bene ficial during Dea th and Eases it's Tribula tions:

Rec iting Sura h-al-Yasee n, Surah-as-Saffa t a nd the follow ing sup p lica tion (d u'a )ea ses the t ribulation d uring d ea th:

. .

.



Sha ikh Sad oo q na rra tes from Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t he sa id , "For theperson who fasts on the last day of the month of Rajab, Allah will save him from theafter effects of death". Fa sting on the 24th of Ra jab c a rries g rea t rew ard (Sawab ).One of it's merits is that when the Angel of death comes to remove his spirit (Rooh),he comes in the form of a handsome youth carrying a bowl of the pure drink(Sha ra be Tahoora) and offe rs him to d rink. The d ying person doe s so and d ies inpeace .

The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sa ys tha t if a person rec ites four unit (Rak'at ) Namaz onthe night o f 7th Ra ja b in a m a nner that in eac h unit (Rak'a t) a fter Sura h-al-Hamdrec ites thric e Surah-at-Tawheed , onc e Surah-a l-Fa laq , a nd onc e Sura h-an-Na as.Afte r finishing the Nam a z, sends Sa law at o n Us a nd rec ites ten times Ta sbee ha teArba.

Almighty Alla h will offe r him shelter und er the Throne (Arsh), and give him rewa rd ofa person fa sting in the month o f Ramazan. Till the time he finishes the p rayers, the

Angels pray for his forgiveness. Allah will ease the pangs of death on him, and savehim from the squeeze in the grave (Fishare Qabr). He will not die until he sees hisplace in Paradise, and will be safe from the hardships of Resurrection (Qay'amat)Sha ikh Kafami quotes from the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.), that he sa id tha t a personwho recites the following supplication (Du'a) 10 times daily, Allah will forgive fourthousand major sins (Gunahane Kabeera) of his, offer him refuge from one laccalamities at the time of death, the squeeze in the grave (Fishare Qabr) andQayamat. Allah will also save him from satan (shaitaan) and his army, will pay off hisd ues and save him from troub les a nd anxieties.

.

The rec itat ion of the fo llow ing d u'a seventy times c a rries g rea t rew a rd . The lea st ofwhic h is tha t he will be given g la d tid ings tha t he will enter Pa ra d ise

Sha ikh Kulaini rela tes from Ima m Ja 'far-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t he sa id tha t the one w horec ites Surah-az-Zilza l in the Sup ereroga to ry Praye rs (Nafela), Allah w ill save him fromea rthqua ke, lighte ning a nd the c a lam ities of the la nd a nd sky. And d uring d ea th Hewill send this Surah in the form of a ha nd som e youth w ho will sit beside s him a ndrequest the Angel of death (Malekul Maut) to remove his spirit with ease.

UTurning Awa y from the Right Path During Death.



It mea ns tha t a p erson should turn aw ay from the Right Pa th (Sira t-al-Musta qee m)during death. At the time of death satan (shaitaan) comes to the dying man andtries his best to dec eive him a nd puts him in d oub t, so as to turn him a wa y from faith(Eeman). Fakhr Muhaqqeqeen says that, 'A person who wishes to remain safe fromthe mischief of shaitaan at the time of death should preserve five proofs regardingthe fundamental principals of faith (Usoole Deen) in his mind, and present it to

Allah's c ustod y, so tha t d uring d ea th these m a y com e a s a hand y ag a inst sha ita an'sd ec eit. Then he should rec ite t he fo llow ing supp lica tion (d u' a):

Fakhrul Muhaqqeqeen also says that those who wish to remain safe from shaitaan'smisc hief of a b and oning faith during d ea th, should rec ite d ua'e Ad eelah w ith a puremind and heart. (Du'ae Adeelah is found in all the renowned books of du'as, anda lso in the first volume of Ma fatee hul Jinaa n by the same a uthor).

Sha ikh Too si rela tes from Mo ha mmad b . Sulaym a n Daylami tha t I a sked Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) that , "Some of your faithful followers (Shi'ahs) say that faith (Eeman) isof two typ es: (1) Permanent & firmly estab lished , and (2) One whic h has bee n g ivento us as a trust, and also can be ruined. Please give me a du'a by which my faithma y a lso b ec ome perma nent and firmly e stablished." Ima m (A.S.) told him to rec itethe fo llow ing d u'a a fter every obliga tory prayers (Wajib Nam a z):

UThose Ac ts whic h Prove Benefic ial During Death.

The best d ee d is to p erform Prayers (Nam az) on time . It is rela ted tha t the re is no

person in the east or the west on whom the sight of the Angel of death (MalekulMaut) does not fall at least five times during the time of Prayers. Whenever the timeof d ea th of tha t p erson c om es, the Ange l of de a th (Ma lekul Ma ut) rec og nizes himand helps him to recite Kalema and shuns away satan (shaitaan) from him. It isna rra ted tha t o nc e Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) wrote to a person : "Do you wish thatyou ma y fac e d ea th while o n the Right pa th? And do you wish that your spirit (Rooh)ma y b e removed from your body while yo u be performing goo d d eed s? Then holdAllah's orders dear to yourself and obey them, and do not waste the bountiesoffered by Him by being disobedient to Him, and do not take undue advantage of



His Mercy , nor be c om e a rrog ant. Honour those who follow Us and respec t those wholove Us".

The rec itat ion of Dua -e-Ta mjeed (Du'a No. 11) of 'Sa hee fae Kamelah' is benefic ial,so as to die while on the Right path and to be saved from turning away from it.To rec ite the fo llow ing supp lica tion (d ua ) in the Na maz of sunda ys in the mo nth o fZilqad:

The other benefic ial ac ts a re: To a lwa ys rec ite Ta sb ee he Fa tema (A.S.) (34 timesAllaho Akbar, 33 times Alham do Lilla h, and 33 times Sub -hana lla h), to w ea r ring o fCa rnelia n (Aq ee q , spec ia lly of red c olour), it is bette r if the follow ing is eng raved onit: 'Mohammadun Nabiyyullahe wa Aliyyun Wahyyullahe ". To rec ite Surah-a l-Mo 'menoo n every frid ay, to rec ite the follow ing supp lica tion (du'a ) seve n time s a ftermorning (Sub h) and e vening (Ma ghrib) Prayers:

To rec ite 8 units (Rak'a t) Nam a z on the night o f 22nd Ra jab , in ea c h unit (Rak'a t)a fter Surah-al-Ha md rec ites 7 times Sura h-at -Ta whee d . After end ing Na ma z, rec ite10 time s 'Sa law at', and 10 times 'Istighfa r' (Asta gferullah Rabb i wa a toob o Ilayh).Sa yyed ibne Tawoo s quo te s the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) as sa ying, tha t if a personrec ites 4 units (Ra k'a ts) Nam a z in the m onth of Sha 'ba n, suc h tha t in ea c h unit(Ra k'a t) a fte r Surali-al-Hamd rec ites 50 times Surah-at - Ta whee d , then d uring d ea th

his spirit will be rem ove d with ea se, a nd his g ra ve will bec om e spa c ious, and on thed ay of Qayam a t when he c om es out of his grave , his fac e w ill b e shining b right likea full moo n a nd kalma e Shaha da t will be The fo llow ing Inc id ents will prove helpfulfor further explana tion:

Inc ident - 1

Fuza il b in Ayaz who was one of the g rea t Sufi Sa ints, says tha t he ha d a p ious a ndvirtuous stud ent. The stud ent onc e fe ll ill, a nd when his d ea th a pproa c hed , Fuza ilc a me to visit him a nd sta rted rec iting Sura h-al-Yasee n. The stud ent req uested Fuza ilto stop rec iting it. Fuza il then reque sted him to rec ite the Kalem a, but he refused tod o so a nd sa id tha t he was sick of it (Allah's refug e). Fuza il wa s shoc ked and felt sada t the a ttitude of one of his pious stude nts, he returned hom e a nd did no t c om e o utfor some days. One night he dreamt that the same student was being dragged tothe fire of hell by the Angels of wrath. Fuzail stopped them and inquired of hisstudent as to why was he being treated in that manner, when he was always ap ious a nd devo ut stud ent of his. He a sked him as to wha t was the rea son b ehind hispa inful end . The stud ent rep lied tha t he ha d three ba d hab its in him:



(1) Sla nd er, (Woe b e o n every sland erer & d efa mer) Sura h-al-Huma zah: I,

(2) Jealousy, (Verily jealousy destroys faith (Eeman) in the same manner as firedestroys wood. - Usoole Kafi), and

(3) Creating m isc hief, (c reating m isc hief is graver than murder) - (Surah-al-Baqarah:217). The stud ent a lso told Fuza il tha t he o nc e c om mitted a n a c t whic h a lso p rove d

harmful for his Hereafter. He said that once he had a disease, and the doctor hadpresc ribed him to d rink wine fo r it's c ure. The d oc tor told him tha t if he d id no t d o sohe w ould never be c ured . He d id a s the d oc tor sa id . Bec ause o f this and the o ther 3ba d hab its his end wa s suc h pa inful, a nd he d ied in the sta te o f shame .

For further exp la nation of the ab ove narrative, I sta te b elow a n inc ide nt q uoted b ySha ikh Kulaini, who quotes Ab u Basee r a s saying tha t, Onc e I wa s sea ted in thepresenc e of Ima m Ja tfa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.), whe n Umm e Khalid b inte Ma 'ba d iyyahc a me a nd to ld the Imam (A.S.) tha t since she knew the p rohibition o f it's use, sheha d c om e to the Ima m (A.S.) to t a ke advic e rega rd ing it. Ima m Sad iq (A.S.) askedher, "What stopped you from using it"? She sa id tha t b eing one o f His devoutfollowers, she wished to be saved from shame, and on the day of Qayamat if shebe questioned about it she could reply that it's use (or prohibition) was ordered toher by the Ima m (A.S.) himself. The Ima m (A.S.) turned towa rd s me a nd sa id, "O A buMoha mm a d ! (referred to Ab u Ba seer), do you p a y heed to w hat this wo ma n says"?Then Ima m Sa d iq (A.S.) answered By Alla h I neve r give yo u p ermission to c onsumeeve n a d rop of it, for if you d o so, you sha ll have to reg ret whe n your sp irit reac heshere". a nd Ima m (A.S.) pointed tow a rd s his nec k and rep ea ted the sente nc e thric e,a nd too k the wo ma n's a ssuranc e tha t she ha d und erstoo d it we ll.

Inc ident - 2

Sha ikh Baha i sta tes in his boo k 'Ka shkol' tha t there w a s a person who ha d spent hisentire life in pleasures and luxuries of this world. When he was about to die, thepe op le ga thered around him a nd req uested him to rec ite the 'Ka lem a'. But instea dof the 'Kalema' the dying man said: Where is that woman who in a state ofexhaustion came to me and asked me the way to the public bath (namedMa nja b). He said so b ec a use o ne d a y a virtuous and be autiful wo ma n c am e o ut ofher house to have ba th in a fam ous ba th house na me d 'Manjab '. She forgot he rwa y and wa s exhausted sea rc hing it. She saw this ma n sta nd ing nea r a doo r a nd

asked him the way to it. He pointed towards his house and said that the same wasthe bath house named 'Manjab' As soon as the woman entered there in, the manloc ked the doo r and in tented to have illic it p hysic a l relation with her. The virtuouswo man sensed tha t there wa s no esc ape from his lustful fold, and henc e p rete ndedto be interested in him. She sa id tha t she wa s a sta te of unc lea nliness and wa sproc eed ing for a b ath. She told the ma n to g o a nd g et som e sc ent for her so tha tshe m a y pe rfume a nd a d orn herself for him, and a lso to get som ething to ea t a s shewa s exhausted . The m a n wa s d ec eived b y her wo rd s a nd went to the ma rket to buythings. As soo n a s he step ped outside, the wo man tha nked Allah fo r p reserving her



chastity and ran away. When the man returned, he understood his mistake andregretted. Now when his end neared, her remembered this indecent act andinstea d of rec iting the 'Ka lem a ' sa id the a bove wo rds.

The Inc ident is to b e reflec ted upon tha t whe n the p erson w as a bout to d ie, the sin(even though he had not committed it, but had in tented) stopped him fromrec iting the 'Ka lem a '. Sha ikh Kulaini quo tes Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) as sa ying

that, "One w ho d oes not p ay eve n one Q eerat o f Zakat due on him (Qe erat is eq ualto 21 d inars), will d ie the dea th o f a jew or a c hristian". The sa me trad ition (ha d ee s) isalso said about the person who intentionally does not perform Haj even after beingc ap ab le of d oing so.

After the spirit (Rooh) is separated from the body, it lingers on the top for sometime.There a fte r the Sp irit of the believer is ta ken to the Hea vens, while tha t of a non-believer below. When a believer's bier is being carried, he calls out: "Hasten me tomy eternal destination ", while a non-believer calls out : "Do not make haste to buryme in my grave, making way for my chastisement". During bath of the believer'sd ea d b od y, the Ang els ask him if he desires to return to the wo rld ba c k to his kith &kin, to which he replies that he does not intend to go back to the world of miseriesa nd misfortune.

From Death till Grave

The Sp irit of the dea d rem ains p resent a nd witnesses the ba th g iven to his bod y. It isa lso na rra ted tha t whe n the b a th is being p erformed , the d ea d p erson fee ls as if heis being thrown from height, and the rough ha nds of the p erson p erforming the ba thsee ms to be smiting him. Henc e it is nec essa ry tha t b a th should be performe d with

gentle hands.

The Sp irit hears the vo ic es of the peo p le w ho ha ve c om e to a ttend his funera l.Hence it should be borne in mind that one should avoid talking during funeral. Awoman in menses or nifaas (blood discharge after child birth), and a person in thestate of pollution should avoid coming near the dead body, because it becomesthe rea son for the d isp leasure of the b lessed Ang els, who turn awa y in disgust. Suc ha c ts should be pe rforme d for the d ea d pe rson w hic h b ec om e the rea son for Alla h'sb lessings, viz. rem em bra nc e o f Alla h and Ahlulb a it, (A.S.), rec itat ion of Qur'an e tc .

It is also narrated that after the dead body is buried, the spirit returns back andmaintains relation with the body. When it sees that the people are returning back,knows that from now on it is destined to live alone. It becomes restless, and says :"Alas! Those c hildren of mine whom I brought up w ith love a nd c are haveabandoned me, and now my only companions are my deeds (A'amal) which Ipe rforme d while a live". The first g lad tidings which a believer rec eives is in the g rave :"Oh you who believe! Allah has forgiven your sins and the sins of those whoattended your funeral".



CHAPTER -II-THE GRAVE (QABR)

One of the fea rsom e sta ges of the Hereafter is the g rave, whic h c a lls out d a ily : "I amthe abod e of lone liness, I am the house of terror, I am the hom e of worms".

Terror of the Grave

It is quoted in Man La Yahzaruhul Faqih, that when a dead body is brought forburial, it should not be buried immediately. For there is no doubt that the terror ofthe g ra ve horrifies the d ea d person , and he see ks refug e from Alla h's wrath. Thed ea d b od y should b e laid to rest for som etime far from the g rave, so tha t it p rep aresitself, and gets accustomed to it. Again one should stop and then take it to thegrave. Allamah Majlisi while commenting on the above, says that even though thespirit is separated from the body, it is still maintains relation with it, and remainssom ew ha t a tta c hed to it. The d a rkness and loneliness, q uestioning b y 'Munkir andNakeer', Sq uee zing in the grave (Fisha r), and the c ha stisem ent in hell a re som e o fthe frightful stages. Hence it is necessary for man to take lessons from a dead man'sstate, and reflect upon it, because one day he himself will have to pass throughthe se sta ges. Yunus na rra tes tha t o ne d ay he a sked Imam Mo osa a l-Kazim (A.S.)tha t, "Whenever I think ab out the d oo r of a house, the house b ec om es narrow in mysight, why is it so"? Imam (A.S.) replied, "It is so because whenever you take a deadbody for burial, you should lay it to rest for sometime near the grave, so that thedead person may ready itself to enter there in, and collect strength to answer thequestions of 'Munkir' and Nakeer"'.

Ba ra b in Azib, one of the c om pa nions (Asha b ) of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S) saysthat o ne d ay I wa s in the p resenc e o f the Prop het, when we sa w a group o f pe op lega the red . The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S) asked them a s to w hy they had ga thered ?They rep lied tha t they ha d ga thered to d ig a g rave. As soo n a s the Prop het he a rdthe name of the grave, he hurried towards it and sat on one side of the grave. I saton the other sid e fa c ing him so a s to g et a c lea r view of w hat he d id. I saw that theProp het (S.A.W.S) sta rted we ep ing b itterly so muc h so tha t his fac e b ec ame w et,then he loo ked at us a nd said, "O my b rothers! Prepare yo urselves for this house".

Sha ikh Baha i sa ys tha t a t times he saw m a ny king s a nd rulers reg rett ing their sins and

wa iling o ver their lives while d ying . The Sha ikh a sked one suc h p erson who wasa bout t o d ie as to w ha t wa s the rea son fo r suc h reg ret. The d ying king rep lied , "Whatdo you ha ve to say ab out the person who is proc eed ing for a journey without havingga thered any provisions for it, and de void o f a helpful co mp anion. He is stopp ed onthe way in a horrifying g rave, to be produced later before the Almighty Ruler,without having any goodness in store".

Allamah Qutub ud d in Ra wa ndi sa ys, that a fter the d ea th o f Hazra t Ma ryam (A.S.),



her son Prop het Isa (A.S.) ca lled her, "0 mo the r! Please spea k to me , and te ll mewhether you a re d esirous of returning b a c k to this wo rld ". Hazra t Ma ryam (A.S.)answered, "Yes, I desire to return back, so that during the cold winter nights I couldrecite Namaz, and during the hot summer days I could fast. 0 my dear! Verily thewa y to the he reafter is very d ifficult."

It is na rra ted tha t when t he last mom ents of Hazra t Fa tema (A.S.) nea red , She c a lled

Am irul Mo'me nee n Ali (A.S.) and sa id , "When I die, you bathe me, shroud me, prayNamaz over my dead body, and bury me. When you do so, sit near my grave forsometime and recite the Holy Qur'an, and pray for my forgiveness. For verily afterde ath the d ea d p erson relies totally on the p rayers (dua 's) and affec tion of the livingones".

When Ha zra t Fa tem a b inte A sad (the m othe r of Hazra t Ali) died , Amirul Mo 'mene en(A.S.) ca me we ep ing to the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S) and gave Him the new of he rd ea th. The Prop het wa s g rieve d a nd sa id , "My mother has died". History bearswitness tha t she had b roug ht up the Prop het a ffec tionately like a mo ther. TheProp het (S .A.W. S) gave her his ow n g ow n fo r the shroud (Kafa n), and Himself lay inthe grave for sometime before burying her. After burying her, he stood near thegrave and called out: "Your son, your son, not Aqeel, nor Ja'far". People weresurprised and a sked him the rea son for utt ering these words. The Holy Prop het(S.A.W.S) rep lied tha t, "One d a y we we re d isc ussing about Qa yam a t, and I sa id tha ton that day people will be coming out of their graves in a state of nakedness. Myaunt (Fatema binte Asad) started crying, so I assured her that I would give her myow n go wn fo r shroud , so she w ould no t have to fac e tha t humilia tion. She w asscared of the squeeze in the grave (Fishare Qabr), so I lay myself in her grave so asto save her from this too . After burying her, Munkir & Na keer ca me to q uestion her.

They a sked her a bout he r Lord , she rep lied tha t Almighty A llah w a s her Lord. Thenthey asked her about Prophet hood (Nabuwwah), she bore testimony that I wasAllah's Apostle. But when they questioned her about her Imam, she was a bitconfused. Hence I called out to her that "Your son, your son, not Aqeel nor Ja'far(but Ali)". Fatema binte Asad was a distinguished lady, who had the honour ofgiving b irth to a son like Ali (A.S.), and herself rem aining in the Ka 'ba h for three d a ysa s Allah's gue st. She w as the sec ond wo ma n who ac c ep ted the Prop het ho od ofthe Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S) the first b eing Hazra t Kha d ija (A.S.) eve n then she wa sfea rful of the he rea fter and wep t. And w e b eing sinful have forgo tten our end, a ndd o no t ta ke a c c ount o f our d eed s, but a re a verse to the terror of the herea fter.

Sa yyed ibne Ta woos relates from the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S) tha t he sa id tha t the firstnight is the m ost fea rful and d iffic ult for the d ea d person, henc e g ive Sa dqa for hissa fety. If you d o no t ha ve to give a nything a s 'Sad qa ' then rec ite tw o unit (Ra k'a t)Nam a z: In the first Rak'a t a fter Surah-a l-Hamd rec ite tw ice Surah-a t-Ta whee d , and inthe sec ond Rak'a t a fte r Sura h-al-Hamd rec ite ten times Surah-a t-Ta kasur. Afte rfinishing the Nam az rec ite the follow ing dua :



(here take the nam e of the dea d m an)Allah will immediately send one thousand Angels to the grave of the dead personwith attires of Paradise, and expand his grave till Qayamat. And for the one whorec ites this Nam az, Alla h w ill offer him g rea t rewa rds a nd exa lt his position forty time s.The other Nama z to be rec ited on the first night o f b urial is a s follow s: Two Ra k'a tNam a z is to be rec ited , in the first Rak'a t a fter Surah-al-Hamd rec ite onc e Aya ta l

Kursi, a nd in the sec ond Ra k'a t a fter Sura h-al-Hamd rec ite te n time s surah-al-Qa dr.After finishing Namaz say:

(Here ta ke the na me of the d ec ea sed p erson). My tea c her Alla ma h Mirza Husa inNoori (ma y Alla h exalt his position) quotes in his boo k Darus Sa la am from his teac herHaj Fa th Ali Sulta nabad i that he sa id : It w a s my routine tha t whene ver I hea rd aboutthe dea th o f follow er (Shi'ah) o f Ahlulb a it (A.S.), whe ther know n or unknow n to me , Irec ited (the ab ove state d ) Na ma z, and this wa s not known to anyone else e xc ep t

my self. One da y I me t one of m y friend s who told me tha t the p revious night he sawin a d rea m a Shi'ah w ho ha d died som e d a ys a go . My friend a sked him a s to howhis sta te w a s. He rep lied tha t he w a s in dee p troub le fa c ing the c onseq uenc es of hisd ee ds, till one so and so (he too k my na me ) person rec ited Nam az for him. He sa idtha t, "Ma y Allah b less his fa the r, he resc ued me from severe c ha stisem ent". My frienda sked me reg a rd ing the Nama z a nd I had to te ll him.

UThose Deeds whic h a re Beneficia l for Warding off Fea r of the Grave.

One of the m is performing Ruku' with entire rec itation. Ima m Mo ha mm ad -al-Ba q ir(A.S.) sa ys, tha t a person rec iting ent ire rec itat ion o f Ruku' in Na maz will be sa vedfrom the fea r of the g rave . And one who rec ites.

100 times d a ily, will be saved from a nxiety in the g rave , will bec om e p rosperous, andthe doors of Paradise will be opened for him. It is also related that the person whorec ites Sura h-al-Ya see n before g oing to bed , and the fo llow ing Nam az (Nam azeLay la tur Ra gha ib), he w ill be saved from the te rror of the g rave. The first night of themonth o f Ra jab is known a s La yla tur Ragha ib.

The Holy Prophe t Moha mma d (S.A.W.S.) used to fa st on the first thursd a y of themo nth of Ra jab , a nd b etw ee n Ma ghrib a nd Isha Pra yers rec ite twe lve Rak'a t Nam a z(in Si set s of tw o units) as und er: In every Rak'at a fte r Surah-al-Ha md rec ite threetimes Surah-al-Qad r and twelve t imes Sura h-an-Naa s. After Sa la am rec ite seve ntytimes:



Then g o into p rostrat ion (Sa jda h) a nd sa y seventy times:

Then sit erec t and say seventy times:

Then aga in go into Sa jda h and sa y seventy times:

It ha s bee n relate d tha t a person w ho fa sts for twelve d a ys in the m onth o f Sha 'ba n,Allah will send seventy thousand Angels daily to his grave. And if a person visits anailing man, Allah appoints an Angel for him who accompanies him in his grave tillQayamat.

Ab u Sa 'ee d Khud ri sa ys, tha t he hea rd the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S) te lling AmirulMo 'mineen Ali (A.S.), "Oh Ali! Give g lad tidings to your Shi'ahs that their death will beea sed , and they will be save d from the terror of the grave a nd Qa yama t".

UNarrowness of a nd Sque eze in the Grave (Fishare Qa br).

This event is so horrifying , tha t it m a kes a p erson shiver with fright in this ve ry w orld.Amirul Mo'meneen Ali (A.S.) says : "O the serva nts of Alla h! The state in the g rave o f a

person whose sins are not forgiven is more horrifying than death itself. Fear it's(grave's) narrowness, it's squeezing, it's imprisonment, and it's loneliness. Verily thegrave calls out daily: I am the house of loneliness, of terror and worms. Grave is likea garden of Paradise for a good doer, while it is like a dungeon of hell for the evildoer. Allah tells His enemies that He will send ninety nine serpents in their graves,who will tear their flesh and smash their bones, and this punishment will continue tillthe outbreak o f Qaya ma t. if one o f the serpe nts exha les toward this ea rth, all plantsand trees will be destroyed. O servants of Allah! Your souls are tender, and yourbodies delicate, you cannot confront any ordinary serpent of this world, how thenwill you fac e them". It is rela ted tha t Imam Ja 'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) used to get up d a ilyin the m id dle of the night a nd c a ll out in a loud voice so tha t eve ryone in the housec ould hea r, and wo uld sa y:

One of his (A.S)'s Sup p lic a tion (Du'a ) is a lso sta ted :



.

URea sons for the Squeeze in the Grave.

Laziness in purifying oneself after urinating, creating mischief amongst people,ba c kbiting (ghiba t), and seve ring relation w ith kith & kin a re som e o f the rea sons forthis punishment.

Sa 'ad b in Ma 'az wa s one of the nob le m en o f Ansa rs.He w a s held d ea r by the HolyProp het (S.A.W.S) Himself and His c om panions, to the extent tha t whenever hec a me to m ee t the Prop het, He used to instruc t His c om pa nions to w elco me him w ithhono ur. The Prop het Himself stoo d up to we lc om e him. Sa 'ad wa s wo und ed in abattle fought against the jews of Qurayza, and later succumbed to the injuries.

When he d ied , seventy thousand Ang els a tte nd ed his funera l. The Holy Prop het(S.A.W.S) wa s p resent b a re fe et till the end , and gave shoulder to his b ier, and sa idthat the Angels had come to recite the funeral prayers (Namaze Mayyit), andJibra ee l and Mikaee l were a lso p resent a long sid e him. The Holy prop het love d himso m uc h tha t He Himself buried him. See ing the se, the mother of Sa 'ad rem a rked ,"Oh my son, rejoice at the attainment of Paradise". The ho ly Prop he t (S.A.W.S) sa ysthat, if a believer (Mo'min) does not help his believer brother even after havingc a pac ity to d o so, Allah will send a la rge serpent na me d `Aja r in his g rave, who willkeep biting at his fingers". In another narration it is stated that the serpent will keepon b iting his fingers even thoug h his sin will have bee n forgiven.

UDo p eop le who a re d rowned or are ha nged have to face the Squeeze in the Grave?

Sha ikh Kulaini na rra tes from Yunus who says tha t onc e Ima m Ali-a r-Reza (A.S.) wa sasked whether a person who is hanged also faces squeezing. (In the olden days itwas a custom that when a person was hanged, his body was not brought downfrom the gallows, but was kept hanging there. As in the case of Zaid bin Ali binHusa in (A.S.), he lay in tha t m anne r for three yea rs). Ima m Reza (A.S.) answered ,"Yes, they too shall face it, because Allah (who has power over all things) orders thewind to squeeze him a s the ea rth doe s". Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) says tha t , "Verilythe Lord of the ea rth and the wind is One a nd the sam e, He c om mand s the wind to

squeeze the dead man, and this squeezing is more painful than the squeezing bythe earth". In the sam e m a nner those w ho a re d row ned or are killed a nd ea ten upby the beasts have to face the squeezing. Not offering thanks to Allah for Hisblessings and denying them, is also one of the causes of the squeeze in the grave(Fisbare Qabr).

UThose A'mal whic h Saves one from the Sque eze in the Grave.



There a re m any ac ts (A'am al) to save o ne from the squeeze in the g rave, but forb revity's sa ke, I sta te here o nly seventeen of them .

(1) Am irul Mo 'me neen Ali (A.S.) sa ys, that a person who recites Surah-an-Nisa oneve ry Frida y will rem ain safe from the squeeze in the grave.

(2) It is na rrated tha t if a person rec ites Surah-az- Zukhruf, Allah will save him from therep tiles of the ea rth, and the squee ze in the g rave.

(3) A pe rson who rec ites Sura h-al-Qala m in Obliga to ry Prayers (Wajib Nama z) orSup ererog a to ry Pra yers (Nafe la ), will rem ain sa fe from this punishment .

(4) Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) sa ys, tha t if a person d ies betwe en the sunset ofthursd ay and the sunset of friday, Allah w ill exem pt him from this p unishment.

(5) Imam Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.) says, that the Midnight Prayers (Namaze Shab) isrec om me nded (sunna t) for you. So if a p erson g ets up in the last p a rt o f the nighta nd rec ites Nam a ze Sha b , Alla h will save him from the squee ze in the g rave andgra nt him imm unity from the fire of he ll, and will inc rea se his age and sustena nc e.

(6) The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) says, tha t if a person rec ites Surah-a t-Ta kasur befo regoing to bed , Alla h will grant him freed om from this punishme nt.

(7) If a person recites this supplication (dua') ten times daily will be saved from thispunishme nt. (The d u'a ha s a lrea d y bee n q uote d in Chap ter - I und er "Those A'ma lwhic h p rove bene fic ial during dea th a nd ea ses it's tribula tions").

(8) A p erson w ho is buried in Najafe Ashra f. Bec a use the e a rth o f tha t p lac e has gotthe speciality, that a person buried there will be saved from the punishment in thegrave, and will be e xem pte d from the q uestioning b y Munkir a nd Nakeer.

(9) To p ut Ja ree d a ta yn (two w et sticks or bra nc hes) along w ith the d ea d b od y inthe grave. It is narrated that so long as the sticks remain wet, the dead person issaved from c ha stisem ent . It is rela ted tha t o nc e the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) wa spa ssing by a g rave o n whic h Alla h's wrath w as desc end ing . He c a lled for a lea flessbranch. He cut it from between, wetted it with water, and kept one on the head ofthe grave and the other on the feet. It is also related that to sprinkle water on thegrave is also beneficial, for so long as the mud of the grave remains wet, the deadperson rem a ins sa fe from the punishme nt in the grave .

(10) A p erson w ho rec ites ten units (Rak'a t) of Nam a z on the 1st o f Ra jab suc h tha t inevery Ra k'a t a fte r Sura h-al Hamd rec ites three time s Sura h-at -Tawhee d , will besaved from the squeeze in the g rave. To rec ite twe nty Ra ka'at Nam a z on the nightof 1st Ra jab , suc h tha t in every Ra k'a t a fte r Surah-al-Ha md rec ite onc e Sura h-at -Ta whe ed is bene fic ia l to save one self from the punishme nt in the g rave.



(11) To fa st for four da ys in the month of Ra jab or twe lve d a ys in the month ofSha 'ba n is a lso bene ficia l.

(12) To rec ite Sura h-al-Mulk on the g rave is a n a c t w hic h sa ves the dea d ma n fromthe punishment in the grave. Allamah Qutubuddin Rawandi relates from IbneAbbas, who says that once a person pitched a tent on a ground not knowing thatthe re w as a g rave b ene a th. Therea fter he sta rted rec iting Sura h-al-Mulk. Sud d enly

he hea rd a voic e sa ying tha t the Sura h g ives sa lva tion. He relate d this inc id ent tothe Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.), who rep lied tha t, "Verily this Surah frees a person fromthe p unishment in the g rave". Sha ikh Kulanini a lso na rra tes from Imam Moha mm a d-a l-Ba q ir (A.S.) who sa id tha t the rec itat ion o f Surah-a l-Mulk saves one from thepunishme nt in the g rave.

(13) It is rela ted from the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S) in "Da'w aa t" of Allamah Qutub ud d inRawa ndi that, whe n a person is being b uried and som eo ne rec ites this supp lica tion(du'a) thrice, the corpse will remain safe from the punishment in the grave till theday of Qayamat:

(14) Sha ikh Toosi in his `Misbahul Muta ha jjid ' relate s the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) assaying tha t, if a person rec ites the follow ing two Ra k'a t Na ma z on frida y night, Allahwill free him from the punishme nt in the g rave, and sa ve him from fea r on the da y ofQa yamat. In ea c h Ra k'a t a fter Surah- a l-Hamd rec ite fiftee n time s Surah-az-Zilza l.

(15) To rec ite thirty Ra k'a t Nama z in the m idd le p art o f the mo nth o f Ra jab , suc h tha tin eac h Ra k'a t a fte r Sura h-al- Hamd rec ite ten times Sura h-al-Tawhee d is benefic ialto ward off punishment in the grave. In the same manner to recite the aboveNam a z on the night of 16th and 17th Ra ja b a nd the 1st o f Sha 'ba n is a lso bene fic ial.On the night of the 1st o f Sha 'ba n to rec ite 100 Ra k'a t Nam a z, suc h tha t in ea c hRak'a t a fter Sura h-al-Hamd rec ite o nc e Surah-at Tawhe ed , after end ing the Na mazrec ite fifty times Surah a t-Ta whe ed . On the night o f 24th Sha 'ba n rec ite one hund redRak'a t Nam a z, suc h tha t in eac h Ra k'a t a fte r Sura h-al-Hamd rec ite ten times Sura h-a n-Na sr. Also to rec ite fifty Ra k'a t Nama z suc h tha t in ea c h Ra k'a t a fter Sura h-al-Hamd rec ite fifty time s Surah-at -Ta whee d , fifty time s Surah-al-Fa laq , and 50 time sSurah-an-Na as saves one from the punishm ent in the grave. To rec ite the sameNam a z on t he night of `Ashoo ra ' (10th of Moha rram) is a lso b ene fic ia l.

(16) To keep `Kha ke Shifa' (the mud of the g rave of Imam Husa in ( A.S.) in the shroud(ka fan), o r to rub it on the pa rts of p rostra tion (Sa jd ah).

(17) It is na rra ted from Imam Ja 'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) in "Anwa re No'maniyyah" tha t ifforty p ersons ga ther near the b od y a nd rec ite:



Allah will safeguard the dead man from the punishment in the grave.It is rela ted from Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t there w a s a virtuous ma n in BaniIsra il, reg a rd ing w hom it wa s reve a led to Prop het Daw oo d (A.S.) that he wa s ahypocrite (riyakar) When he died, Hazrat Dawood refrained from attending hisfuneral But forty other pe op le a ttended his funera l a nd sa id:

Then a nother forty ca me and rep ea ted the sa me , for they were not a wa re of thehid den rea lity. Allah then revea led to Da wo od (A.S.) and a sked him a s to w hy didhe no t a ttend his funera l? Ha zra t Daw oo d a nswe red , "O Lord! You sa id tha t the ma nwas a hypocrite, and so I avoided his funeral". Allah said, "Verily it was true, butbecause forty persons bore witness to his goodness I forgave his sins". It is Allah'sme rc y and bene fic enc e w ho thus forga ve His servant w ith any tria l or trib ula tion.

It is for this reason that the believers (mo'meneen) in the olden days kept theirshrouds (kafan) with them, and would request other believers to write down their

testimonies on it The sight of the shroud ma d e the m remem ber dea th a nd increasethe fear of the hereafter. We too should follow this example and request otherMu'meneen to write down their testimonies on our shrouds, and preserve it with us,so tha t we a re a lwa ys rem inde d of the he rea fter

UQuestioning in the Grave b y Munkir and Nakee r.

One of the p rincip a l fac to rs of Shi'a ism, be lief in which is ob liga to ry (wa jib ), is thequestioning in the grave by Munkir and Nakeer. Allamah Majlisi relates in 'BiharulAnwar' and `Haqqul Yaqeen' that it is a proven fact from reliable traditions that thequestioning a nd the squee zing in the grave is for the p hysic a l bo dy, as a lso for thespirit. In the grave one is questioned regarding one's beliefs (Aqaid) and deeds(A'maa l). The q uestions a re p ut to every be liever as well a s a non-be liever. Onlyinfant s, the m enta lly reta rded , a nd the p eo p le o f lesser intellec t a re exem pted fromit. The period of `Ba rza kh' offers them neithe r rew ard nor ret ribution.One is q uestioned ab out the Prayers (Nam az), Fa sting (Siya m), the Pilg rima ge (Ha j),Zakat , Khum s, love o f Ahlulba it (A.S.), a nd a lso ab out how he spent his entire life andwe a lth. Ima m Ali Za inul Abe d ee n (A.S.) sa ys tha t a fter the q uestioning about thebeliefs of Islam, a person is questioned about how he spent his life, and also aboutthe w a y he ea rned his we alth and spe nt it.

There a re ma ny who se tong ues wo uld c ea se to a nswe r the questions put forth tothem, and would not be able to answer, or would reply wrongly. It also happensthat in reply to the question "Who is your Lord?", the person will reply to the Angelstha t they (i.e the Ang els) a re his lord . The person who is we ll ac qua inted in his lifetime with the beliefs and p rinc ipa ls (of Isla m) w ill be a b le to answe r without troub le.And if he d oe s so, his g rave w ill be b roa dened to the leng th his sight rea c hes. Theperiod of `Barzakh' passes away easily with Allah's blessings, and the Angelsp roc la im to him, : "Slee p thou like a new ly we d d ed b ride". (Usoo le Kafi) If the d ea dman is a non believer or a hypocrite, and cannot answer the questions put forth to



him, one of the doors of hell is opened in his grave, and the entire grave is filled withthe raging-fire. As Alla h says in the Qu'ran: "And if he be of those who have belied ,gone astray, He shall have an entertainment of a boiling water, And the boiling inthe he ll -fire" (surah -al Wa qe'ah: 92-94). Ima m Ja'fa r-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) sa ys tha t, "Aperson who denies the follow ing, is not o ne of our Shi'ahs: (1) Asc ension (Me'raj ofthe Holy Prop het ), (2) Que stioning in the grave, and (3) Our Inte rc ession (Sha fa 'at ).It is related that two Angels having a fearful countenance enter the grave for the

questioning, the ir voic es a re like thund er, and the ir eye s like lighte ning. They p utforth the follow ing q uestions:

1. Who is your Lord?2. Who is your Prop het?3. Wha t is your Relig ion?4. Who is your Imam?

The dea d ma n fee ls unea sy in answe ring these questions bec a use of the fea rfulenvironme nt and need s help a t that mo me nt, henc e Ta lqe en is rec ited a t thefollow ing tw o p la c es so tha t he is rem inded of his beliefs (Aqa id). (1) When the bod yis la id in the g ra ve. It is bette r to p lac e one 's right ha nd on the right shoulde r of thedead body, and the left hand on the left shoulder, and shake slightly when thena me of the d ea d ma n is rec ited in the `Ta lqee n'. (2) When the g rave Is c losed . It isrecommended (sunnat) that a near relative of the dead man should sit near thehea d of the g ra ve a fter pe op le leave , and should rec ite the `Talqe en' in a loudvoice. It is be tter to p lac e o ne's pa lms on the grave and take o ne's fac e ne a r thegrave w hile rec iting . There is no p rob lem of a nother person o ther tha n the relat ives isd ep uted for it. It is relate d tha t w hen the `Ta lqee n' is rec ited , and the Angels (Munkir& Na keer) hea r it, Munkir te ll Na keer, "Co me let us lea ve, for the Ta lqeen is a p roo fof h is beliefs, and the re rem ains no ground for furthe r questioning".

Admonition:A p erson ma y a sk the q uestion a s to wha t is the bene fit o f rec iting the 'Ta lq ee n',when the spirit has a lrea d y left the b od y. The a nswe r to this question is tha t (a srelated in traditions), the spirit (Rooh) of the dead man remains present at thatmoment, and hears and observes more clearly than us. It also understands alllanguages whe ther Ara b ic , Persia n, or any o ther. Bec a use limita tion is the outc om eof this materialistic world. In `Man La Yahzaruhul Faqeeh' it is narrated, that whenAb u Zarr Gha ffa ri's Son Zarr died ' Ab u Zarr buried him. Then he sa t ne ar the hea d of

the grave and put his hand on it and said, "Oh Zarr! May Allah bless you. Verily youwe re mo re virtuous tha n m e, a nd a c c om plished a ll responsib ilities due to a son. Andnow when you ha ve b een sep erate d from me , I b ea r witness that I am plea sed withyou. By Allah! I d o no t g rieve o n a c c ount of your dea th, and d o no t w ish a nythingfrom anyone except Allah. If I would not fear the after effects of death, I wouldsurely have ac c ep ted d ea th instea d of you. But I wish to remain a live fo r som e m oretime so as to ask forgiveness for my sins, and prepare myself for the last journey.Surely I ha ve p erforme d suc h a c ts on yo ur beha lf which m ay be useful for you inyour journey, a nd have no t c onfined m yself to just we ep ing a nd w ailing fo r you, and



henc e this ha s kept me awa y from d roo p ing myself in your sep a ra tion. By Allah! I donot g rieve o n a c c ount of your dea th, nor bec a use o f your sep a ra tion, but I lam entthinking a bo ut wha t might have b efa llen you after your de ath, and wo nde r in wha tsta te you a re. I wish I knew wha t you sa id a nd wha t w as sa id unto you. 0 my Lord! Iexcuse all my rights due upon him, and I request You to forgive all your rights dueupo n him, for You a re m ore liab le tha n me to forgive a nd pa rd on".

Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) says, that when a believer is laid to rest in his grave,Praye rs (Namaz, whic h he offered ) rem ains on his right side , Za kat on his left side ,and acts of goodness & kindness (towards others) gives shelter on his head, andpatience (shown at the time of distress) remains near him. When 'Munkir & Nakeer'c om e to question him, p a tience req uests Nam a z, Zakat, and goo dness to surroundhim from all sides and give him refuge, and says that whenever troubles andc a la mities b efe ll this ma n, I was a lways the re w ith him (i.e he b ore it pa tiently).

Allamah Ma jlisi in his ̀ Ma ha sin' quotes Imam Mo ha mmad -al-Baq ir (A .S.) a nd Ima mJa'fa r- as-Sa d iq (A.S.) as sa ying tha t w hen a believer (mo'm in) dies, six fa c es enterhis grave along with him. Out of these, one is more illuminated, chaste and morescented than others. One stands on the right side, the second on the left, third infront, the fourth near the head, fifth near the legs, and the one more illuminatedshelters on the head. From whichever side the wrath of Allah comes, the face ontha t side d efend s the d ea d bod y. The o ne w ho is mo re illuminated asks these o therfa c es: Ma y Allah b less you a ll, who a re you"? The one on the right side sa ys "I am thePraye rs (Nama z) which he rec ited in his life time". The one on the left side says "I a mthe Za kat w hich he g ave w hile a live" The one sta nd ing in the front sa ys "I am hisfa sts". The o ne nea r the hea d sa ys "I a m the Haj & Umra h which he p erformed in hislife". While the one standing near the legs says "I am the kindness (Ehsan) which heperformed with his b rother believer". Then a ll the se fa c es turn tow a rds the more

illuminated one a nd a sk him a s to who he is. It rep lies "I a m the Love o f Ahlulba it".

Sha ikh Sad oo q in the c hap ter on the imp ortanc e of fa sting in the mo nth of Sha 'ba nsays tha t w hoever fasts for nine d a ys in this month, `Munkir and Nakeer' will de a l withhim gently and courteously during questioning. Many benefits have been narratedby Ima m M oha mm a d-al-Ba qir (A.S.) for a p erson w ho rema ins a wa ke on the nightof 23rd of the mo nth o f Rama za n a nd offers one hund red units (Ra k'a t) Nam a z. Oneof these benefits is that Allah removes fear from his heart during the questioning by`Munkir and Nakeer' and a light shines forth from his grave, which illuminates thewhole world . The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) says, tha t a pp lying dye ha s four benefits,

one of them is tha t Munkir & Na keer' shy awa y from him in the g rave. And as sta tedearlier that a person who is buried in Najaf, is exempted from the questioning in thegrave.

Incident-1Allamah Majlisi quotes in his ̀ Tohfa tuz Zaereen' from `Irsha dul Quloo b ' a nd `Farha tulUzza ' tha t a virtuo us man from Kufa rela tes tha t, "Onc e o n a ra iny night I wa s sea tedin the Masjid of Kufa when some people entered the Mosque from the door nearthe shrine of Muslim b in Aqe el ca rrying a b ier with the m. They kep t the b ier on a



mo und. One o f the p ersons a c c om pa nying the funera l felt a sleep . He d rea mt tha ttwo persons came near the bier, and one said to the other that "I will settle hisa c c ount fast b efore he is ta ken to Najaf, bec a use then I will not b e a ble to g o nea rhim". The person go t up from his d rea m a nd narra ted it to othe rs who understoo dthe w hole situation (that the two me n we re M unkir and Nakeer who had to q uestionthe de ad ma n), and lifted the b ier and proceed ed towa rds Najaf to save the de adma n from c ha stisem ent a nd the q uestioning".

Allamah Behbaha ni says tha t onc e I sa w Ima m Husa in (A.S.) in a d rea m a nd askedhim, "O my M aster ! Will the o ne buried nea r your grave a lso be questioned "? ImamHusa in (A.S.) rep lied , "Whic h one o f the Ang els ha ve g ot the nerve to q uestion himwho is buried nea r my g rave".

Incident-2It is writte n in 'Jillul Mateen' tha t Mee r Mu'inudd in Ashraf who w as one o f the virtuo usa tte nd ants of the shrine of Ima m Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.) sa ys tha t "Onc e I drea mt tha t Iwa s in the shrine of Ima m Reza (A.S.) and wa s c om ing out to perform a b lution(wuzu). When I c a me nea r the m ound of Am eer Ali Sher, I saw a group of p eo p leentering the shrine. An eminent personality was leading them, and they all carriedspades in their hands. As soon as they entered the shrine, the eminent personalitypo inted tow a rd s a pa rtic ula r grave and said, "Dig out the wretche d fellow from hisgrave". Hearing his command they started digging the grave. I asked one of thoseme n as to w ho tha t ma n wa s. He replied that He w as the Co mm and er of the fa ithfulAli (A.S.). Sud denly I sa w tha t Ima m Ali-a r-Reza (A.S.) c a me out of His shrine a ndgreeted Ima m Ali (A.S.). Ha zrat Ali (A.S.) answered His g reet ing. Ima m Reza (A.S.)said,

"O my Respected Grandfather! I request you, and have faith, that you will forgive

this person on my behalf who lies buried here under the shelter of my shrine". AmirulMo 'meneen (A.S.) answe red , "O m y dea r son! Do you know tha t he wa s a misc hief-c rea tor, a n a dulterer, and a d runkard"? Ima m (A.S.) rep lied, "I do know, but w henhis last moment neared he willed to be buried under the shelter of my shrine, so Ireq uest you to fo rg ive him o n my b eha lf." Ha zra t Ali (A.S.) forga ve him a nd left . Iawoke from my sleep in awe and woke up the other attendants and related tothem my dream. We all went to the place which I had seen in my dream, andfound a new ly co nstruc ted g rave, whose m ud w as sc a ttered . After inquiry we lea rntthat a turkish ma n who had died wa s buried there the da y be fore".

Haji Ali Baghd a d i ha d the honour of m ee ting Ima m Ma hd i (A.T.F.S.) and ask himsome questions. One of the questions put forward by him was that "Is it true that aperson who goe s for the p ilgrima ge (Zia ra t) to the shrine o f Ima m Husa in (A.S.) onfrida y night rec eive s sa lvation"? Ima m (A .S.) rep lied , "Yes, by Allah". Ha ji Ali Ba ghd ad isays tha t I sa w tea rs in the eye s of Ima m (A.S.). Then I a sked him a no the r question,"In the yea r 1269 A.H. when we w ent for the p ilgrima ge (Ziarat) to the shrine of Ima mAli-ar-Reza (A.S.), we me t a nom a dic Ara b who wa s a na tive o f Najaf. We invitedhim for a meal and asked him his views regarding the reward of the love of ImamReza (A.S.). He rep lied , "Parad ise", and sa id, "Since the past fifteen days I have bee n



from the w ea lth of Imam Reza (A.S.), do Munkir & Nakee r' have the ne rve to c om enea r me. The fo od which I co nsume d from the ta b le o f Ima m Reza (A.S.) has turnedinto flesh a nd b lood ". I a sked Ima m Ma hd i (A.T.F.S.) whe ther his c laim was true.Imam (A.S.) rep lied , "Yes it is true. Ima m Reza (A.S.) himself will com e a nd save himfrom the questioning in the grave. For verily by Allah! My Grandfather is a Zamin(surety) Ima m'.

CHAPTER -III-INTERMEDIATE PERIOD (BARZAKH)

One of the dreaded stages of the Hereafter is `Barzakh'. `Barzakh' literally means acurtain or a separator which lies between two things and does not allow them tome et e ac h othe r. For exa mp le, swe et wa ter and bitter wate r both flow side by sid e,but Almighty Allah has set between them a barrier so they do not intermingle. AsAllah says in the Qur'an, "He ha s ma de the two sea s to flow freely (so that) they me et toge ther, Betwee n them is a ba rrier which they c annot pa ss". (Surah-ar-Ra hm an : 19- 20). But Ba rza kh in this c onte xt m ea ns tha t Allah ha s p lac ed a c urta in b etw ee n thiswo rld a nd the herea fter. Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys, "By Allah! I fear a lot foryour state in Barzakh". The na rrator asked Ima m (A .S.) as to wha t wa s Barza kh?Imam Sad iq (A.S.) rep lied tha t, It is a period sta rting from dea th till Qa yamat. (Biharul

Anwar) "And b efore them is a b arrier (Barzak h) until the day they a re raised ". (Sura h-a I-Mo'me noo n: l00)

The State o f the Bod y in Barzakh.

Barzakh is also called a corporeal or a non-material world (Alame Misali) becausesome what it seems like this world, but it's nature and matter is totally different. Afterwe d ie the othe r wo rld see ms quite va st when c om pared to this wo rld , see ms quitevast when compared to this world, and this world can be compared to the wombof the mother. In the same manner the body of a human in Barzakh will be thelikeness of the one in this wo rld. It m ea ns tha t in Ba rzakh the p hysica l co mponent s ofa man will be the same as in this world, but will be independent of matter. In fact itwill be m ore p lea sa nt a nd lighter (La tee f) than a ir, and will b e transpa rent.

The Period of Barzakh a nd the Bod y

Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) says, "If you look at the corporeal / imaginal body(Bad ane Misali, in Barzakh), yo u will say that it the same o ne (a s in this world) .



If one loo ks a t o ne's d ea d father in a d rea m, he will surely sa y tha t his appea ra nc ea nd bod ily com pone nts we re the sa me as whe n he w a s a live. But the rea lity is tha this bo d y and ma tter lie b uried in the g rave .

The eyes rem ain the sa me but d evo id of the shortag e o f sight which ma ynec essita te the we a ring o f spec ta c les. The o ther bo d ily pa rts a lso d o no t b ec om eexhausted or wea k, the te eth d o no t fall off, and a believe r rejoice s in ete rna l youth,

while a non-believer suffers the impediments of old age, which act as Allah'schatisement. Philosophers & thinkers compare this body (in Barzakh) to the image ina mirror, b ut w ith tw o d ifferenc es:

(1) The C orporea l Bod y (Bad ane Misa li) is firm & free , and inde pend ent of the m irror,a nd

(2) It is intelligent, wise, a nd und ersta nd ing a s aga inst the ima ge in the mirror.

It ca n also b e c om pa red to a dream in whic h we travel from o ne plac e to a notherin the twinkle of an eye. In Barzakh the body consumes variety of food and drinks,a nd hea rs the music, the likeness of w hich c a n no t b e fo und in this wo rld. The sp irit(Roo h) a lso rejoic es in the p lea sures a long with the c orpo rea l bod y. In fac t the foo da nd d rinks of tha t wo rld a re m ore ta sty and free from ma teria l d irt a nd unc lea nlinessa s sta ted in trad itions (Aha d ee s).

One thing gets converted to another according to the wish of the believer. Plumsturn into grapes, and grapes into any other fruit, as will be discussed in the incidentof Hazra t Hamza (A.S.)

In the sta te of Barzakh the inte llec t of the c orpo rea l bod y is very strong . Thepleasures which we derive in this world are nothing as compared to those in thatstage. Because the reality lies there whereas here is the likeness of it. If a Hoorie'looks towards this world and lifts up the veil an inch off her face, the light of the sunwo uld seem nothing in front o f the light e ma nating from her glowing fac e. And theeyes would turn blind, hence complete beauty lies there . "Surely We have made whatever is on the earth an embellishment for it, so that we may try them (as to)whic h of them is the best in deeds". Surah-a I-Kahf : 7.

Difficulty of Impression and Effects

Incident. Allamah Naraqi relates in 'Khazaen' : In the days of my youth in Isfahan, one day Iac c omp anied my respe c ted father and c omp anions to a friend's plac e on the d ayof 'Naoroz' to m ee t him. The friend lived near a c em etery. To relieve ourselves offatigue a nd also w ith the intention o f ge tting rewa rd ., we stop p ed by the graveya rdto recite 'fateha' for the departed mo'meneen. One of our friends who washumorous turned towards a grave and said, "O occupant of the grave! will youa c c ep t us a s your guests tod ay on this day of Id d"? Bac k ca me the rep ly, "Sure, nextweek on tuesday you all will be my guests". We were horrified and concluded that



only some days of our lives were left. We started performing good deeds andrec tifying the b ad ones.

We a lso sta rted writing our wills. The d ay of tuesday d a wne d but no ne o f us d ied .We met together went to the cemetary. One of us went forward and called to thegrave, "Oh occupant of the grave! Please do as you had promised", and backc a me the rep ly, "Welc om e" . Sud d enly we rea lized tha t the c urta ins of the hidd en

were lifted off our eyes, and we saw a green and beautiful garden in which wereflow ing strea ms of c oo l and p lea sant wa ter. The g a rd ens we re lad en w ith co lourfulfruits, and beautiful birds were praising Allah on the trees. We reached a mansion inthe midst of the garden.When he saw us he got up to welcome. Different types offruits and sweets were served, the likeness of which cannot be imagined nord esc ribe d .

We ate to our full, but were still not satiated, and wished to eat more. After finishingthe meals we sat for sometime, then we got up to ask the person's permission toleave. He bade us farewell and came to leave us till the door. My father asked hima s to who he w as, and why d id Alla h b estow His b lessings on him so tha t he ha d gotthe c ap ac ity to feed the who le m ankind, and a lso a sked him a s to wha t the plac ewa s. The m an rep lied tha t, "I a m a na tive of your tow n, a b utc her by p rofession, andthe rea son fo r these b lessings to be b estowe d on m e a re: (1) I never weighe d less a tthe time of sa le, and (2) I a lwa ys rec ited the Pra yers (Nama z) on t ime a ll throug houtmy life. As soo n a s the voice of `Takbe er' rea c hed my ea rs, I left my wo rk andproc ee ded for Na ma z in the Mosque. Henc e I a m o ffered this position here.

Last week when you requested me for a feast, I had not obtained permission for it,while this we ek I ha ve g ot the p ermission and henc e invited yo u". Then weind ivid ua lly asked him our ag es a nd he a nswe red . I a sked him m y ag e a nd he sa id

tha t I wo uld live fo r a nother fifteen yea rs. Then he w ished us fa rew ell, and werea c hed the sam e p lac e in the c eme tery. (Ma'ad )

One of the p ec uliarities of `Barza kh `is tha t it is ete rna l and pe rmanent. None of thethings of this world are immortal. Youth is overshadowed by the darkness of old-a ge. Till the time the morsel of fo od rem ains in the m out h, a p erson d erives p leasureand taste, and then it disappears. Flowers turn dry after a period, and hencenothing remains eternal. But Barzakh and it's pleasures are eternal because it is notma de up of matte r or elem ents like o ther things a nd he nc e d oe s not c ea se to e xist.

The p lea sures in Barzakh a re not perishable.

This c an be e xplained by a na rra tive in `Da rus Sa laa m', where in Sha ikh Ma hmoo dNaraq i quo tes from Sha ikh Ma hd i Naraq i. He says tha t: During m y days in Najaf,there broke a severe famine. I left my house leaving behind my children who werecrying with hunger and thirst so as to search something for them. I passed through`Wad i-us Sa laa m' a nd ente red there in with the intention of rec iting `Fa teha ' for thed ep a rted souls, a nd this a c t wo uld p a c ify me a nd m ake me fo rge t my sorrow . I sawsome people in the graveyard with a bier, and they requested me to join them in



the funera l. Being a n a c t of g rea t rewa rd I ac c om pa nied them . They c a rried thebier and sudd enly we entered into a vast g arden.

They too k the bier in a huge a nd b ea utiful plac e the re in, which ha d a ll theem enities of luxury. I ente red throug h the d oo r a nd sa w a hand som e yout h we a ringsplendid attires seated on a golden throne. As soon as he saw me, he addressedme by my name and saluted me. He signalled me to go near him and I replied in

the ne ga tive. He sa id "I am the sa me pe rson w hose funera l you a re a ttend ing. I a ma native of so and so town and the people you saw in my funeral were the blessedAngels, who brought me from my town to this Paradise for the intermediate(Barzakh) period". When I heard these words from the lips of the person, I forgot mysorrow and started adoring the beauties of the garden. When I came out of thegarden, I sa w som e o ther plac es, and whe n I ob served c a refully I saw m y de pa rtedparents and relatives standing at the doors. When they saw me, they invited me toenter in. I entered there in and they invited me for food, which was very delicious.While eating I suddenly remembered my wife and children who were dying ofhunger and thirst a nd my fa c e turned pa le. My (fathe r) understoo d and sa id , "O m yson Mahdi! What is the reason for your sorrow"? I replied, "O father! While eating, Isudd enly rem em be red that m y wife a nd c hild ren a re d ying o f hunger a t hom e, andthat ma de me sad ".

He pointed towards a stock of rice and told me to take as much as I desired. Ispread out my cloak and filled it to the full. And as soon as I got up, I found myselfsta nd ing in the same p la c e in `Wad i-us-Sa la am', with my c loa k filled with ric e Ihurried towards my house and we ate to our full. Quite some time passed, but thestoc k never go t ove r. One d ay my w ife a sked me as to w here I go t it from . Sheforc ed me to te ll her, and I had to na rra te the whole inc ide nt to he r. She g ot up inexcitement to take som e ric e from it so a s to e a t it, but it ha d disap p ea red .

Hence it can be concluded from this incident that the pleasures of Barzakh areeternal and not perishable. On the other hand if we hear the voices of those whoa re being punished in Barza kh, we sha ll forge t the sorrow s of this world .

It is na rra ted in the third vo lume of `Biharul-Anw a r' tha t the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.)sa id : Before the Proc lama tion of Prop hetho od , onc e w hen I wa s g razing the c a ttle, Isudd enly sa w tha t the c a ttle stop pe d grazing a nd loo ked frighte ned . I wo nde red a sto w hat w as the rea son for suc h a c hang e, bec a use nothing unusual hap pe ned atthat time. When Jibra'eel came with the Revelation (Wahy) I asked him the reason

for such a change. Jibra' eel answered, "O Prophet of Allah! When the people whoare being punished in Barzakh scream with anguish and pain, their voices are notheard by human-beings and geniis, but animals can hear it and hence becometense. There a re m any inc idents to sup port this.

It is written in "Darus Sa laa m' tha t the g rea t Sc ho lar Alla mah Sa yyed Ha shim Husa inBa hra ni sa ys: In Najaf the re lived a shop kee per who c ounseled a nd adviced peo p led a ily a t his shop a fter Na ma ze Zohr. At tha t m om ent his shop wo uld be full of p eo p lewho ga thered to hea r the guida nce .



One day an Indian prince came to settle in Najaf, and planed to proceed on a journey. He c ame to the shop keep er to kee p his ornam ents a nd va luab les as a trustwith him, because he thought the shopkeeper to be a trust-worthy believer. Aftersome days when he returned back from the journey, he went to the shop-keeper tota ke ba c k the things entrusted to him. The shop -kee per tota lly de nied having ta kenthe va luab les from him. The p rinc e w as d ejec ted a nd we nt to the Shrine of TheCo mm and er of the fa ithful Ali (A.S.) and c a lled out, "O Ali I left m y mo therland a nd

came and settled here near your grave, and entrusted my wealth to the shop-keeper believing him to be a trustworthy person. But alas, now he denies havingmy wealth and I have no witness to prove my claim except you". In the night hed rea mt tha t Ha zrat Ali (A.S.) c a me a nd to ld him to go in the m orning to the g a te o fthe c ity. And w hen the ga te o pens, the first p erson to ente r there in would he lp hima c quire his lost w ea lth. He g ot up the next mo rning a nd we nt to the c ity-ga te.

The first p erson to ente r the g a te w as an old a nd feeb le m an, who looked virtuousa nd w a s c a rrying a loa d o f woo d o n his hea d . He ente red the c ity and sa t do wn tosell the wo od so a s to ea rn som e thing for his family. The p rince felt a sha med to a skfor his help a nd returned to the Shrine. He a ga in drea mt t he same , a nd the next d a yag ain went to the c ity-ga te a nd saw the old ma n and returned ba c k. When on thethird night he dream t the sam e, in the mo rning he we nt to the g ate a nd find ing theold ma n related the who le incident to him. The m an tho ught for a mo me nt and toldthe p rinc e to c om e to the shop -kee pe r's plac e after (mid d ay p ra yer) Nam a ze Zohr,a nd he w ould g et his we a lth b a c k if Allah d esires. After the Na ma z peo p le a s usua lga thered a t the shop a nd the shop -keep er go t up to a d vic e. Sudd enly the old m a ngot up and requested the shop-keeper to let him say something, to which heagreed.

The o ld ma n sa id , "O p eo p le! I am so a nd so, the son of so a nd so, a nd I a m wo rried

a bout the Right s of p eo p le (Haq qun Naa s)/ Pra ise be to Alla h! For I ha ve no lust fo rthe w ea lth of this wo rld , and a m a c onente d ma n a nd pa ssing my d ays in solitude . Iwo uld like to narra te to yo u an incident of m y life and wa rn you ab out the w rath o fAllah, and the punishment of Hell, and the hardships of Qayamat. Once I was ingreat debt and hence borrowed ten 'Qiraat' (equal to 21 dinars) from a jew andpromised him to pay half a 'Qiraat' daily. I fulfilled my promise for ten days. On theeleventh day the jew was not to be found anywhere. I inquired about hiswhereabouts and was told that he had migrated to Baghdad. After some days Idreamt tha t Qa yama t had da wned , and I wa s be ing b rought for rec koning a longwith others. After giving my account, I was sent towards Paradise. While passing on

the Poo le Serat, I sud denly saw the jew app ea ring from the rag ing fire b elow a nd hestopp ed my way.

He a sked m e to return him bac k the five `Qiraa ts' which I ow ed him. I told him tha t Iha d no intention o f usurp ing his mo ney, and tha t I had sea rc hed for him, but he wa snow here to be found. He said that he w ould not p ermit me to g o a ny further until Ireturn his trust back to him I said that I did not have anything at that moment, towhic h he rep lied tha t in that c a se I should a llow him to p la c e his finger on my c hest.



I agreed to it. As soon as he placed his fingers on my chest, I felt intense pain, and Iwo ke up from my slee p . I saw tha t the re w a s a wo und on m y chest, which is not ye tc ured , and is still fresh. Whatever trea tment I do is of no ava il". Sa ying this the oldman opened his shirt buttons and showed the wound to the people. When thepeople saw the wound, they started weeping and wailing and asked repentancefrom Allah. The shop -kee per who wa s a lso hea ring this wa s very muc h effec ted andregretted his sin. He called the Indian prince and returned him his wealth. and

a polog ized since rely for his sin. (Ma 'ad )

The sp irit rec eives rew ard or punishment (a s the c a se m a y be ) in the g rave. But d ueto it's long relation w ith the b od y, the b od y a lso fee ls pa in a nd is effec ted . Thosepeople who say that it is of no use to visit the graves, for the spirit (Rooh) of thebeliever is no t p resent there b ut is in 'wa d i-us Sa laa m', this is no t t rue. The answer tothis igno rant t a lk is the trad ition (Had ee s) of Ima m Ja 'far a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) who sa ystha t Verily the Sp irit (Rooh) of the believer is in 'Wa di-us-sa laa m, but it surely kee psan eye on what is happening in the grave. It also looks at the people who havec om e to v isit his g rave. Imam (A.S.) co mpa res the sp irit to the sun.. Even tho ugh thesun is not o n the ea rth but is on the sky, the ent ire ea rth is illuminated by it's light, inthe sa me manner the sp irit is in `Wad i-us-Sa laa m' b ut it keep s c onta c t w ith the bod y.

The Effec t of the Spirit (Roo h) on the Bod y a nd it's Rela tion with the Grave .

The grea t Tra d itionist (Muha d d is) Sa yyed Ne'matullah Jazaeri na rra tes an incide nt inhis boo k "Anwa re No'ma niyah" tha t o nc e Shah Isma 'il Sa faw i ca me to Ka rba la . Hehea rd the peo p le denying a nd d oub ting the faithfulness of Hurr bin Ya zid-ar-Riyahi(one of the companions of Imam Husain, who was martyred in Karbala). He gave

the o rd er to d ig the g rave o f Hurr.

When the grave of Hurr was opened people saw the corpse of Hurr lying afresh. Akerchief was tied on his forehead, regarding which it is related, that on the day of'Ashoora' (the tenth o f Moha rra m), Ima m Husa in (A.S.) himself had tied a kerc hief onthe b lee d ing forehea d of Hurr. Sha h Isma 'il ordered tha t the kerc hief should berem ove d and g iven to him so a s to be kept in his shroud . As soo n a s the kerc hief w a srem oved , bloo d started oo zing from the forehead of Hurr, hence it wa s tied ba c k.Sha h Isma 'il ordered anothe r kerchief to be tied instea d of it.

When this wa s d one the b lood c ea sed to stop flowing . The Sha h wa s help less a ndordered the kerchief to remain at it's original place. He then acknowledged thefa ithfulness and high honour of Hurr. Then he o rdered a Shrine to b e e rec ted on thegrave.

In the same manner Sha ikh Kulaini and Sha ikh Sad oo q (two g rea t Shi'a h Ulam a s)'sgraves were opened, and their bodies were found fresh there in as if sleeping inpea c e. The Henna a pp lied on the ha nds of Sha ikh Sa doo q a lso rema ined inta c teven a fter so muc h time. The signs of life were visible from his bod y.



On the other hand, when the spirits of the non-believers are being punished, theirbod ies a re a lso e ffec ted . When Bani Ab ba s ga ined vic tory ove r Bani Umm a yah a ndentered Damascus, they started exhuming their graves. When the grave of Yazidibne Mu'awiyah was opened, only a lump of mud was found instead of his body.When a person was being buried in a graveyard in the city of Qum, a flame of fireerupted from his grave which destroyed all it's surroundings. In Pakistan too manyinc ide nts have taken p la c e which a re written in newsp ap ers. (Ma'ad ).

A q uestion m a y arise in the m ind s of p eo p le a s to w here d oe s suc h a va st eve nt ofBarzakh take place. A human's intellect is beyond it's understanding. In traditions(Aha dee s) this universe is c om pa red to the m othe r's wo mb , and the sta te of Barza khto the expa nsive w orld outside it. If a c hild in the m othe r's wo mb is informed a bout avast and expansive world outside, it will be difficult for it to grasp it. In the samema nner huma n intellec t c a nnot und ersta nd the sta te of the expa nsive Ba rzakh. As issa id in the Holy Qur'an: "So no soul knows what is hidden for them of that which will refresh the e ye s". (Surah-a s-Sa jda h: 17)

The Valley of Pea c e (Wad i-us-Sala rn)

Whate ver as c om e d ow n to us from the Holy Aimma h (A.S.) has to b e relied upon. Itis relate d in trad itions tha t w henever a believe r (Mo 'min) dies a nywhere in the ea stor the we st, his spirit is ta ken to the Valley of Pea c e (Wad ius-Sa la am) in Najaf nea rthe g rave o f the Comm ander of the faithful Ali (A.S.).In a nothe r tra d ition Najaf isdescribed as an assembling place for the high-honoured and blessed Angels(Ma la eka). And if the d ea d ma n is a believe r in the Holy Aimm ah (A.S.), and isburied in Najaf, he rejoices abundant bliss. While if a sinful person is buried in Najaf

a nd his spirit is being punished in 'Wad i-e-Ba rhoot', his sp irit streng the ns it's union withthe body and hence is relieved of the punishment, as has been related in earlierincidents. (Ma'ad)

The Valley o f p unishment (Wad i-e-Barhoo t) is situated in the b a rren land s of ad eserted va lley in Yem en, which is d evoid o f foo d or wa ter. This is the d we lling p lac eof the evil spirits (rooh) who are made to stay there during Barzakh and taste severechastisement.

The Valley of Punishment (Wadi-e- Barhoot)

One d ay a m a n c ame to the p resenc e o f the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) in a ma nnerthat fear had overtaken him and his face had turned pale. He said that he hadwitnessed an astonishing event which was the cause of his restlessness. On theProp het 's inquiry he sa id: "My w ife ha s a d isea se, for the c ure of which she req uestedme to fetch some water from the well at Wadi-e-Barhoot (Mineral water has got thepower to cure skin diseases). I took a leather bag and a bowl and left when Irea c hed there the ee rie surround ing ma de m e fe a rful a nd I hastily sta rted sea rc hing



for the well. I found one well and was about to fill water in the bag, when I heardthe noise of chains from above me. I heard a voice requesting me for water for hewas dying of intense thirst. When I looked above I saw a man hanging by a chainwhich was bound in his neck. I was confused but agreed to his request for water,When I extended my hand to offer him water, the chain was suddenly pulled ontop, and the man reached just near the blazing sun. I was dumb- founded andscared, and started filling the water bag when I saw the man being sent down

again.

He a ga in req uested me for wa ter, and like b efore when I extended my ha nd to givehim, the c ha in wa s pulled up . This happene d thric e. On the third time I wa s tota llyfrightened and ran away from there. O Prophet! I now request you to explain to methe inc ide nt". The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "The ma n whom you sa w in theWadi-e-Barhoot was none other than the accursed Cain (Qabeel, the son ofProp het Ad am), who ha d me rc ilessly murd ered his b rothe r Abe l (Habee l). He will bepunished in the sam e m anne r in the va lley, and on the da y of Qa yam at he w ill befed to the b la zing fire of he ll".

Sa yyed Mo 'min Sha b lanji Sha fe 'i in his book `Noorul Absa r' relates from Ab ul Qa simbin Mohammad, who says: One day I saw some people gathered near the`Maqame Ibraheem' in the Masjid-ul-Haraam (Ka'bah), and asked them the reasonfor it.

They sa id tha t a c hristian hermit had c onve rted to Islam and ha d a n a stonishinginc ident to na rra te. I we nt and saw a n old man wea ring woolen c lothe s sitting thereand inquired of him. He said, "One day I was seated outside my hut gazing at theriver and ad oring it. Sudd enly I sa w a huge bird having the hea d of a d onkeydescending from the sky. It came down and sat on a bowlder. It spitted something

from it's mouth and flew away. I observed properly and saw that it was a quarterpa rt of a huma n bo dy. The b ird returned ag ain and spitted ano ther qua rter pa rt ofthe hum an b od y. This ha ppene d four time s. When a ll the fo ur pa rts c ollec tedtog ethe r, a m a n a rose from it. I wa s a stonished , when I saw the b ird c om ing aga in.The b ird sta rted b iting the m an and seve red a quarter pa rt of his bod y andswallowed it without chewing and flew away. It returned four times until it hadswa llow ed the who le b od y in pa rts. I wo nde red as to w hat w a s hap pe ning a nd w hothe person might be. I regretted not having asked the person when the bird wasaw ay. On the sec ond da y I saw the sam e thing hap pe ning a nd g athered c ourag ea nd w ent up to the p erson a nd a sked him a s to w ho he w as, a nd w hy wa s he b eing

troub led in suc h a ma nner. He rep lied tha t his name wa s Ab dul Ra hma n ibn Muljim,the murder of Ali ibn Abi Ta lib , and the b ird was sent by Alla h to punish him regularlyfor the grievous crime (murder of Hazrat Ali) which he had committed. Having gotthe rep ly, I left my hut a nd c ame a bo ut to inquire a s to who this Ali (A.S.) was.Peo p le told m e tha t he wa s the c ousin, son-in-law, a nd the Vice gerent (Wasi) of theHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S) of Islam . I ha ve thus a c c ep ted Islam bec ause of this eventand have come to mecca to perform the Pilgrimage (Haj), Lesser Pilgrimage(Umra h), and the Ziarat of the g rave of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S).



Allam ah Qutubud din Ra wa ndi q uotes from Lubb e La ba ab ' that it is related , that o nthe night of every friday, the spirits (Rooh) for the dead ones come to the doors oftheir houses and call out: "O my children! O' my relatives!Favour me by performingsuch acts which may prove helpful to me, and may also become the cause ofAllah's b lessings to b e b estow ed on you. Give us a p lac e in your hea rts, and d o not

forget us, have me rc y on o ur wretc hed sta te. Surely we a re in a sta te o fimp risonme nt, loneliness, a nd a nxiety. So d o no t hold your ha nd s from giving a lms(Sa dqa ) on our beha lf, a nd p ra y for our forgiveness. It is possible tha t Alla h may hea ryour p ra yers a nd b estow his me rc y upo n us, d o so b efo re you to o m a y be c om e likeus. Alas! some day we were also strong and healthy as you are now. O' servants ofAllah! Listen to our words, and pay heed to them. It is no doubt that the enormouswe a lth which you now enjoy wa s onc e ours. We d id not spend it in the way of Alla h,but acted miserly and even usurped the rights of others. And verily this is the causefor our d amna tion, and your enjoyme nt. So no w fa vour us by offering o n our beha lfa d irham o r a mo rsel of food . We see tha t soo n you too sha ll we ep ove r your d ee ds,but it w ill be of no ava il. Try a nd rec tify your mista kes a nd sa ve your selves fromreg ret". It is na rra ted from "Jame 'ul Akhba a r" tha t one o f the c om pa nions (Ashaab )of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) hea rd him saying tha t, "Send gifts to your d ea d". Ia sked him a s to w hat g ifts c ould we send to the pe op le w ho a re d ea d . He rep lied ,"It is to g ive a lms (sadqa ) on their be ha lf o r pray for the ir forgiveness". The Prophetcontinued, "On every friday the spirits (Rooh) of the dead come to the homes andcall out: O people of my house! May Allah bless you, have mercy on us. Whateverwe have d one in this wo rld , we a re fac ing it's c onseq uenc es now , while the fruits ofour toil is being enjoyed by others. Favour us by giving on our behalf a dirham, or abread, or clothes, so that Allah may reward you with a heavenly attire".The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sta rted c rying a nd we a lso sta rted we ep ing. He c ried sob itte rly tha t he bec ame exhausted and sa id, "These a re your muslim brethren w holived a lavish life, and now lie p ressed bene a th the ea rth. They no w reg ret theirmistakes and weep over the deeds which have become the cause of theiraffliction.

Those A'mal whic h Prove Help ful for the Peo ple in Barzakh.

They sa y: Alas! if only we ha d spent o ur we a lth in the p a th o f Allah, and not haveacted miserly, we would not have to be dependent on you now. We now beg ofyou to send us som e Sad qa ". In the same boo k it ha s bee n na rra ted from the HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) tha t he sa id tha t, "Whatever alms (Sa dq a ) is g iven on b eha lf ofthe deceased person, the blessed Angels adorn it on an illuminated tray (whose

light spreads across the seven heavens) and take it to the head of the grave andsay: Pea c e b e o n you, O' inhabita nt o f the g rave! This gift has bee n sent to yo u b yyour rela tives. The dec ea sed p erson ta kes the tray into his grave, as a result of w hichthe entire grave gets illuminated, and the grave expands in length". He thenc ontinued "Those who favo ur their dep a rted relatives by g iving a lms on their beha lf,it's reward is as big as the mountain of Ohud in the sight of Allah, On the day ofQa yamat, Allah w ill give the person shelter under His Throne (Arsh), when the re willbe no other shelter except this. Hence this sadqa proves useful for the living persona s we ll a s the d ea d one ".



Allamah Ma jlisi narra tes in "Zadul Ma 'ad " sa ys tha t d o not forget your de a d , for theyhave no power to perform good deeds, and they totally rely on their children,b rothers, and rela tives. They ea gerly awa it the favours. Particularly p ray for them inthe Midnight Pra yers (Nam a ze Sha b ), a nd a fte r every Obliga to ry Prayers (WajibNamaz). And never forget to pray for your parents more than anyone elsewhe neve r you visit. the sa c red p la c es, and perform go od dee d s on the ir beha lf. It isalso narrated that there have been such children who were disowned by their

parents during their life time, but were later forgiven because they performed goodd eed s on their be half after their d ea th. The b est d eed to b e p erforme d on b eha lf ofone's parents or relatives, is to pay their debts (Huququn Naas), and to performworship acts (Huququllah, Namaz, Roza etc.) on their behalf. One should alsoperform the Pilgrima ge (Haj) for them which the y left in their life-time.

It is rela ted in a trustworthy trad ition tha t Imam Ja'fa r- as-Sa d iq (A.S.) used to rec itetwo units (Ra k'a t) Nama z during the night for his c hild ren, a nd d uring the da y for hispa rents. In eac h Rak'a t a fter Surah-al-Ha md he rec ited onc e Sura h-al-Qa d r, and inthe sec ond Ra k'a t a fter Surah-al Hamd onc e Surah-a l-Kausar. Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq(A.S.) sa ys, that som etime s it ha p pens tha t a d ea d person fac es troub le a nddifficulty, and suddenly Allah grants him peace and prosperity. It is said unto him:this is so because your such and such brother in faith has recited Namaz on yourbehalf. A person asked him, "Can two dead persons be included in the sameNam a z"? Ima m (A.S.) rep lied, "Yes, you c a n d o so, for verily the d ea d ma n b ec om esha ppy whe n this p ra yer rea c hes him throug h you:". He (A.S.) ad d ed , "PerformPrayers (Nam az), Fa sting (Roza ), Pilg rima ge (Haj), g ive a lms (Sad qa ), and d o othergood deeds on their behalf, for these enter his grave and is also written in his scrollsof d eed s (Na me ' A'am a a l)".

It is a lso na rra ted in ano ther trad ition from Ima m Sa d iq (A.S.) that he sa id tha t,

"Perform good deeds for the deceased, for Allah doubles the reward, and thisp roves useful for them ". It is a lso narra ted tha t when som eo ne g ives a lms (Sad qa ) onbehalf of the dead man, Allah commands Jibra'eel to take seventy thousandAnge ls along with him a nd go to the grave o f the p erson. Ea c h one of the Ange lsc a rries with the m a trafull of b lessings from Alla h, and they c a ll out: O friend of Allah!Your such and such friend has sent this gift for you. His grave then becomesilluminate d , and Alla h g ra nts him one thousa nd c ities in Parad ise, a nd we ds him withone thousand Houries, and gifts him one thousand attires, and fulfills one thousandwishe s of his".

incident-1 My respec ted tea c her Alla ma h Husa in Noo ri na rra tes in 'Darus Sa laa m', tha tAllamah Sa yyed Ali b . Ha sa n a l Husa inee Isfaha ni to ld him tha t: When my fatherd ied in Isfaha n, I was stud ying in the Theo log ica l Sc hool (Ha wza) in Na jaf. Thepending works of my father which were to be fulfilled, were assigned to the care ofmy b rothe rs, reg ard ing which I wa s not a wa re. Seve n months a fter my fa thers dea thmy m other too d ied . She w a s b roug ht to Najaf a nd buried there. One d ay I drea mttha t I wa s sea ted in a roo m. Sud denly my fa ther ente red therein. I g ot up as a signof respect and saluted him. He sat with me and listened carefully to my



conversation. I was aware that he had died, and so I asked him as to how did herea c h there when he ha d d ied in Isfaha n. He replied , "After pe op le b uried m e, I wa sshifted here in Najaf, a nd no w this ha s bec om e the p lac e o f my dwe lling".

Then I asked him whe ther my d ec ea sed mo ther wa s with him. He rep lied in theneg a tive, which m ad e m e shiver. He the n rep lied tha t she to o w as in Najaf, but a t adifferent p la c e. I then c onc lude d that my fathe r wa s a Sc hola r (Aalim), and that a

Sc holar's sta tus was more tha n a n ord inary ma n. Then I a sked him a bout himself andhe said that, "Formerly I was in deep trouble and faced many difficulties. But praisebe to Allah, the troub le is now ea sed , and I am in pea c e". I wa s surp rised and a skedhim the reason for it. He replied, "I owed some amount to Haji Reza, the son of AqaBa ba , but I died a nd he nc e w a s punished be c ause o f it". I wo ke up from my d rea ma nd t hought o ver. I then wrote a letter to my b rother who looked a fter the p rop ertyof m y father.

I wrote to him the whole incident, and requested him to find in the records of thebook of loans (of my father) if any amount was due to Haji Reza. After some daysmy b rothe r wrote b a c k tha t he ha d sea rc hed in the c red itor's reg ister, but c ould no tfind any outstanding amount due to Haji Reza, I wrote back to him to go personallyto the said person and ask him. After some days my brother wrote back that hevisited Haji Reza. He said that he owed 18 tumans to our father, but had no witnessfor it except Allah. He said that after the demise of our father, he had asked mybrother if his name was written in the creditor's register but he said no.He thought to himself that if he claimed the amount he had no witness for it. Herelied on our father that he would surely have written it in his register, but when hisname was not found he thought that he must have to record it. When my brothertried to repay him the amount, he refused to accept the money and said that hehad forgiven our father, a nd freed him from the loa n whic h he had ow ed him.

Incident-2 Allamah Husa in Noori rela tes in `Darus Sa la am' from Haj Mulla Ab ul Hasa nMazandarani who says that: I had a friend named Mulla Ja'far b. MohammadHusa in Ta b risani who lived in a to wn na me d `Tee lak' e . Onc e there b roke o ut a nextreme epidemic, and many people died because of it. People had appointedMulla Ja'far as their trustee to distribute their loans if they died. But it so happenedthat after some time Mulla Ja'far himself fell prey to the epidemic, and the moneywas left undistributed. When I went to Karbala for the Pilgrimage (Ziarat) to theShrine of Imam Husa in (A.S.), one night I sa w in a d rea m a ma n in whose ne c k wa s

bound c ha ins, from which fire w as spurting out , and two me n ha d held him. The`tongue of the imprisoned man was hanging out from his mouth and lying on hischest. When he saw me, he came near and I recognized him to be my deceasedfriend Mulla Ja'far. I was shocked and asked him the reason for this punishment.When he tried to answer me, the two men pulled the chain and dragged himbehind. This happene d thrice , and I wo ke up from my slee p with a loud c ry. Hea ringmy screams, my fellow-student Aalim who was sleeping besides me also got up. Inarrated to him the whole dream. Coincidentally it was the time of opening thega tes of the Shrine of Ima m Husa in (A.S.). I told my c om panion tha t it wo uld be



bet ter if we w ent to the Shrine of Imam Husa in (A.S.) and offe r sa lutat ions, and askfor Mulla Ja'far's forgiveness. It is possible that Allah may forgive him. We went andprayed for him. Now twe nty yea rs pa ssed but I rec eived no further new s a bout him. Ipresumed that the punishment was being meted out to him because he did notma ke haste in pa ssing on the loa ns of the dec ea sed peo p le to their c red itors. By thegrace of Allah, I got the opportunity to go for the Pilgrimage (Haj), and then I wentto M ad ina . Sud denly I fell ill, and my sta te w orsene d to the e xtend tha t I c ould no t

even walk. I requested my companions to bathe and clothe me, and carry me onthe ir shoulders to the Shrine of the Holy Prophe t Moha mmad (S.A.W.S.).

They thought tha t it wa s my last wish and c a rried me to the Shrine. When I enteredtherein, I became unconscious. My companions left me to their respective chores.When I regained consciousness they took me near the tomb and lay me there. Irec ited the `Ziarat' (Sa lutat ions). Then the y c a rried me b ehind the Shrine to thehouse of Hazra t Fa tema (A.S.). When I wa s laid the re, I req uested Her to g ive m ec ure, and I a lso sa id, "O' Sa yyed a h! We ha ve hea rd tha t you hold Your son Husa in(A.S.) Very de ar, and I am one of the c a re-ta kers of His Shrine , henc e fo r His sa kep lea se req uest Allah Almighty to grant me hea lth". Then I turned tow ard s the graveof the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) and asked wishes from him. Then I asked Him toforgive a ll my de c ea sed friend s taking e ac h na me till I rea c hed the na me of MullaJa'far. Sudd enly I rem em b ered the d rea m and started we ep ing.

I requested Allah to forgive him, because twenty years back I had seen him in adream in a terrible state. With sincerity and solemnity I prayed for his forgiveness.Sud denly I felt my we akness to b e ea sed . I go t up , a nd without ta king the he lp ofothe rs rea c hed my p lac e. Ha zra t Fa tem a (A.S.) answe red my Pra yers a nd I wa stota lly cured. We left Mad ina a nd w ent to the m ounta in of Oha d . We recited Zia ratof the Ma rtyres of O had . There a fter twe nty yea rs I a ga in saw my friend Mulla Ja 'far

in a dream. He was wearing a beautiful white dress, a turban was wound on hishead, and he held a staff' in his hand. He came towards me, saluted and said,"Verily a friend has to do the same as you have done for me. Previously I was ingreat trouble until you prayed for me. Allah relieved me from the punishment justbe fore you c am e o ut of the Shrine. The Ang els then b a thed me in c lea n wa ter.

The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) g ifted me this d ress, and Hazrat Fa tema (A.S.) p resente dme with this c loa k. I a m no w in pea c e, and have c om e to offer you thanks for wha tyou have done. I also give you the good news that you have been cured of yourillness, and will soon return to your family who are fine". I awoke from my sleep and

offered tha nks to Allah.Incident-3 It is written in `Da rus Sa laa m' tha t Sha ikh Haj Mulla Ali relates from his fa the r Ha j MirzaKha lee l Ma iharani, who sa ys tha t:

I wa s in Karba la , while m y mo ther lived in Tehran. One night m y mo ther ca me to mein a dream and said, "O' my son! I have died, and am being brought to you forburial in Karba la , and my nose ha s bee n b roken". I awo ke fright fully. After som e days



I received a letter from my brother stating the news of the demise of my mother. Itwas also written in it that her corpse was being sent to me at Karbala to be buriedthere. The p eop le from the c arava n who b roug ht the c orpse told m e tha t the b ierwa s kep t in a guest house. I a c c ep ted the reality of the dream , but w a s c onfusedregarding the statement my mother made that "my nose has been broken". I liftedthe sheet from her face and saw that her nose was broken. I asked the people ofthe c a rava n reg a rding it.

They replied tha t whe n they b roug ht m y mo ther's c orpse he re, they kep t it in aguest-house a long with o ther c orpses. Sudd enly there e nsued a quarrel a mo ngstthem selves, and in the c ollision the c orpse fell dow n. Ma y be tha t wo uld have b ee nthe rea son fo r it. I wa s g rieved and too k her co rpse to the Shrine of Hazra t Ab bas(A.S.) and p la c ed it nea r the g ra ve, a nd sa id, "0 Abul Fa zl! My m othe r wa s notserious a bout Pra yers (Nam az) and Fa sting (Roza), and som et imes neg lec ted it. Nowshe lies here near you, so please ward off her difficulty.O' my Master! I takeresponsibility to offer fifty years of the elapsed (Qaza) Namaz and Roza on herbehalf".

Then I buried her bu t later forgo t to fulfill a s p rom ised . After som e d a ys I d rea mt tha tsome people had gathered in front of my house I came out and saw that mymo ther wa s bound to a tree , a nd wa s being lashed seve rely. I sc rea med a nd a skedthe m the rea son fo r this punishment .

They rep lied tha t they ha d bee n c om mand ed b y Ha zra t Ab b as (A.S.) to p unish heruntil so and so amount is not paid on her behalf'. I entered my house and broughtthe m oney a nd ga ve it to them. Then I untied my m other, a nd too k her insid e m yhouse. I g ot up from my d rea m a nd c a lc ula ted the sum, and found it to be e qua l tothe amount for the performance of fifty years of elapsed Namaz and Roza. I took

the m oney a nd went to the g rea t Aa lim of our time Sayyed Ali, a nd req uested himto d o the nec essa ry arra ngem ent to offer the elap sed Nam az a nd Roza of fifly yearson beha lf of m y mo the r. Ther autho r of the boo k Mirza Husa in Noo ri sa ys, that theabove incident is stated here to demonstrate the severity of the punishment due tolaziness in wo rship, a nd sa nc tity of the p lac es of Pilgrima ge (Ziyarat ).

Incident-4Haj Sha ikh Mulla Ali quotes from his fa ther Ha j Mirza Kha leel Ma lharani w ho says tha t:In Tehran the re lived a person na med Ali Ta lib w ho work's in a b a th-house. He d idnot offer Prayers (Nama z) nor fa sted (Siya m). One d a y he w ent to a ma son a nd told

him to construct a bath-house for him, and agreed to offer the payment.The m ason a sked him a s to w here he g ot suc h a huge sum, to w hic h he rep lied tha tit wa s none o f his business. The ma son d id a s ordered , and the ba th-house w as builtwhic h b ec ame fam ous by his na me . Mulla Kha lee l further sa ys tha t:

Onc e w hen I was in Najaf, I d rea mt tha t Ali Ta lib w as in 'Wad i-us-Sa la am' in Naja f. Iwa s surp rised a nd a sked him a s to ho w c ould a person like him who d id neve r eve roffe red Prayers nor Fasted be in 'Wad i-us-Sa la am' in p ea c e. Ali Ta lib rep lied tha t"When l died, I was bound in chains and shackles, and was being taken to be



punished , when I rec eived new s tha t Ha j Mulla Mo hamm ad Kirma nsha hi, one o f thegrea t Ulama s of Tehran, had favoured m e b y ap pointing so a nd so p erson toperform the Pilgrima ge (Haj) on my b eha lf, so a nd so p erson d o p erform my e la psedPrayers (Nam a z) and Fa sts (Siya m), and so a nd so p erson to pay the (Za kat ) anda tonem ent o f rights (Ra dd e Ma za lim) o n my b eha lf. He left no d ue p end ing on m e,and thus I was freed of the punishment. May Allah have mercy on him". MullaKha lee l Ma iharani sa ys: I awoke from my sleep a nd was a stonished . Afte r som e d ays

a g roup of p eo p le c ame to v isit Najaf from Tehran. I a sked them about A li Ta lib.

They said that he ha d d ied , and Mulla Moha mm ad Kirma nshahi had a pp ointed soa nd so persons to p ra y, fast, pe rform Haj, and give Za kat a nd Ra dd e M aza lim on hisbeha lf. The na me s of a ll the p ersons me ntioned by them we re the same a s told tome in the d rea m by Ali Ta lib. This inc ident is in ac c orda nc e to the t ra d ition whichsays that wha tever go od -d eed s a re p erforme d on b eha lf of the d ea d pe rson, surelybenefits him. It is possible that sometimes a dead person faces troubles anddifficulties, but such good deeds performed by others on his behalf, relieves him. It isa lso d em onstra ted throug h the a bo ve incident tha t a ny believer (mo 'min) who d iesin the east o r in the west, his sp irit (rooh) is ta ken to 'Wadi-us-Sa laa m'. It is a lsona rra ted by Ma 'soo m (A. S.) tha t it is a s if I see the group of d ea d peo p le c onve rsingwith one a nother.

Incident-5Sha ikh Sa 'eed Qum mi narra tes in "Arba 'eena t" from a trustworthy a utho rity, who toldhim tha t Sha ikh Baha 'udd in Ameli onc e w ent to visit a wise m an who lived nea r ac em etery in Isfaha n. The wise ma n to ld Sha ikh Baha 'i: Som e d ays b ac k I witne sseda n astonishing incident, whic h I wo uld like to t ell you. Som e p ersons c a me he re w itha d ea d b od y, b uried it and we nt awa y. Sud denly I sme lt a frag ranc e the likeness ofwhich I had never smelt before. I turned towards the left and right to see where it

c a me from . I saw a hand som e young ma n we aring splendid c lothes go ing to wa rdsthe ne wly ma de g rave. He w ent a nd sa t nea r the g rave. I wa s a ll the mo re surp risedwhen I saw the young man disappear into the grave. After sometime I smelt a badodour the likeness of which too I had never smelt before. I saw an ugly dog goingtowards the grave and disappear in it. My astonishment knew no bounds. I waswondering about what actually was happening, when I saw the young manc om ing out o f the g rave in a ba d sta te. His who le b od y wa s bruised .

He started running away from the grave and I followed him. I stopped him anda sked him the rea son for running fea rfully. The yo ung ma n replied , "I a m the dea d

man's good deeds, and was commanded to accompany him in his grave.Sudd enly the d ea d ma n's evil d eed s c am e in the form of a d og . I tried to keep himaw ay from the d ea d m an, but it bit me and wounde d m e a ll over.

He made a bad state of me and I could no longer remain in the grave. Hence Ihave come out leaving the dead man to the mercy of his evil deeds".(The d ea d man's evil dee d s were m ore strong er tha n his goo d ones). When Sha ikhBa ha 'i hea rd this incident , he told the wise m a n, Verily the incident is true, bec a use itis na rra ted tha t the dee d s (go od or ba d ) which a person p erforms in his life-time , are



given a physic a l form". Sha ikh Sad oo q in his boo k `Ama li' narra tes tha t o nc e Qa ysb in Asim Minqa ri ca me to the p resenc e o f the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) ac c om pa niedby som e p eo p le o f Bani Tameem. He req uested the Prop het to advice him. The HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "0 Qa ys! When yo u d ie, a c om pa nion w ill also be burieda long -with you, who w ill b e a live w hile you w ill be d ea d . If the c om pa nion w ould beblessed, you will get peace, and if he would be accursed, you will fall in anguish.Compel your companion to become good, because if you will be good, you will

love him and respect him. While if you will be bad, you will hate him and neglecthim. Verily this companion are your good deeds". Qays said, "O Prophet of Allah! Iwish that this a dvise b e fra me d in a b ea utiful c oup let, so tha t it co uld be c om e therea son for our hono ur".

The Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sent som eo ne to fetc h Hisan b in Sa bit, a p oe t. At tha tmo me nt Sa lsa l b in Walahm a s wa s present the re, and he c om piled a c oup let.Sha ikh Sadooq relat es from Ima m Ja 'far a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) who says tha t the HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) sa id, "Onc e Prop het Eisa (A.S.) was pa ssing from nea r a gravewhich was engulfed in the wrath of Allah. After one year when he again passedfrom near that same grave, he saw that the punishment had been lifted off.He a sked Alla h the rea son fo r suc h a c ha ng e. Allah revea led to him: O Isa ! Thed ea d m an ha s left be hind him a virtuous son, who whe n he rea c hed a do lesc enc e,rectified the mistakes done by his father. He helped the orphans and shelteredthem , Henc e I ha ve fo rgiven him b ec a use o f his son's go od dee d s".

CHAPTER - IV -RESURRECTION (QAYAMAT)

Regarding Qayamat Allah says in the Qur'an, "It will be momentous in the heavens and the earth, It will not come on you but of a sudden". (Surah-al-A'araf: 187)Allamah Qutubudd in Ra wa ndi relate s from Ima m Ja 'far as-Sa d iq (A.S.) that onc eProp het Isa (A.S.) asked Jib ra 'eel a s to whe n w ould Qa yam a t c om e? As soo n a sJibra'eel heard about Qayamat, he started trembling and fell down unconscious.When he regained consciousness he said, "O Ruhullah! Verily you know more aboutit tha n me ", and he rec ited the a b ove Verse (Ayah).

Sha ikh Ali bin Ib ra heem Qum mi q uotes Ima m Ja 'far as- Sad iq (A.S.) as sa ying tha tonc e Jibra'eel wa s sea ted in the p resenc e of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) Sud d enlyhe looked tow ards the sky and turned pa le b ec ause o f terror. He a sked the Prop hetto g ive him refug e. The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) looked to wards the sky whe reJibra 'eel had see n. He sa w a n Ang el who se w ings sp rea d from the ea st to the we stas if covering it. He looked towards the Holy Prophet and said, "O Mohammad(S.A.W.S.)! I have c om e dow n with an order from Alla h. Choo se from amo ng thesetwo a ny one , either kingdom a nd Prop hetho od , or Alla h's slavery and Prop hetho od ".



The Holy Prop het turned tow ards Jib ra 'eel and saw tha t he ha d reg a ined streng thby then a nd a sked for his ad vic e. Jib ra 'eel told the Prop het to c hoo se Allah's slaverya nd Prop hetho od . The Prop het told the Ang el that he o p ted for Alla h's slavery andProphethood. After getting the reply, the Angel placed his right leg on the firsthea ven, then lifted the sec ond one a nd plac ed it on the sec ond hea ven. Likew isehe started c limb ing the hea vens until he reac hed the seventh hea ven. He b ec om esmaller, the size eq ua l to a b ird . The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) turned to wa rd s Jib ra 'ee l

a nd sa id , "I have neve r see n you so m uc h frightene d b efore, wha t is the rea son fo rit"? Jibrateel answered, "O Prophet! do you know who this Angel was?He was Israfeel. From the day Allah created the heavens and the earth, Israfeelnever came down to the earth. When I saw him coming down I assumed that hemust have c ome do wn to announce the arrival of Qayam at. Hence the c olor of myfac e turned pa le d ue to fright o f Qa yam a t a s you sa w. But when I saw that he ha dcome down to give you glad tidings, I was relieved and regained myc onsc iousness".

It is related that there is no Angel in the heavens or the earth, skies or mountains,seas or deserts who do not fear fridays. Because they think that Qayamat mayc om e o n tha t ve ry day. It is a lso na rra ted tha t whenever the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.)would talk about Qayamat, there would be sternness in his voice, and his cheekswo uld turn red .

Sha ikh Mufeed quo tes in `Al-Irsha d ' tha t when the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) returnedto M adina from the e xped ition of Ta boo k, Amr b in Ma 'dikarib c a me to visit him. TheProp het sa id to him, "Sub mit to Isla m A mr, then Allah w ill p rotec t you from thegreatest terror". "What is the greatest terror"? he asked, "for I fear nothing". It is saidthat Amr`wa s a very brave and strong ma n. His bravery ca n b e p roven by the fac tthat he had conquered many areas. His sword was famous by the name of

('Sha mshee re Samsa am') One stroke of his swo rd wo uld c ut a sund er the ne c k of acamel. During the caliphate of Umar ibn Khattab, Umar told Amr to give him hisswo rd . Amr gave it to him. Umar hit it hard b ut it had no e ffec t. He threw it in a ragesaying tha t it wa s no goo d . To which Am r rep lied , "0 King! You asked for my swo rd ,not m y hand s". Uma r bec a me furious a t this rep ly and ordered him to b e. When Amrto ld the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.)`tha t I fea r no thing , the Prop he t sa id, "Am r, it is no t a syou think and suppose. Indeed there will be one great shout among the people.Not one person will remain who does not attend, nor a living person who does notd ie, exc ep t a s Allah wishes. Then there will be a nothe r g rea t shout amo ng them ,a nd tho se w ho a re d ea d will a ssem ble a nd a ll get into ranks. The hea vens will sp lit

op en a nd the ea rth will be c rushed . The m ounta ins will be c ut a sunder and fire w illhurl them like spa rks. No one w ho ha s a soul will rem a in, exc ep t his hea rt b e strippedba re while he ment ions his sins a nd is oc c up ied with his soul, exc ep t a s Allah w ishes.Then, whe re w ill you be, Am r a t this"? "Ind ee d I a m hearing o f a terrible event ", sa idAm r. Then he believed in Allah a nd His Ap ostle.

Peo p le from his tribe a lso a c c ep ted Islam a nd returned ba c k. Verily Qa yam a t is fullof fright and terror, so much so that even the dead tremble in their graves. It isnarrate d throug h m a ny great pe rsona lities, that w hen the d ea d me n whe re raised



ba c k to life b y them , they sa w tha t their ha ir ha d turned g ray. They a sked them therea son. To whic h they rep lied tha t, "When we were told to arise, we thought thatQay am at had c om e, and our hair turned grey d ue to it's fright".

I state hereunder ten such A'amals which eases the troubles and difficulties ofQayamat:

Those A'm al whic h Eases the Trouble of Qa ya mat.

(1) It is rela ted tha t a person who rec ites Sura h-al-Yusuf d a ily d uring the d a y or night,will arise on the day of Qayamat with the likeness of the beauty of Prophet Yusuf(A.S.), and will be save d from the fea r of Qa yam at. Ima m Moha mm ad al-Ba qir(A.S.) sa ys tha t a person who rec ites Surah-ad -Dukhan in Na fela Praye rs orobligatory (Wajib) Namaz, will remain safe from the fear of Qayamat. Imam Ja'far-a s-Sad iq (A.S.) says tha t a person who rec ites Surah a l-Ahq a f on the da y or night o nfriday, will be safe from all fears of this world as well as the hereafter. In anothertrad ition Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys tha t a person who rec ites Surah-al-Asr inSup ererog a to ry (Nafe la) Prayers, will a rise in delight on the d ay of Qa yama t. Hisface will be glowing., and his eyes shining, and he will enter Paradise in this cheerfulstate.

(2) Sha ikh Kulaini na rrates from Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) who says tha t the HolyProp het Mo hamm a d (S.A.W.S.) sa id , that who eve r respec ts a ma n with a whitebe ard, Alla h will grant him refuge from the fea r of the d ay o f Qa yam at.

(3) The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, tha t w hoeve r dies while going to Me c c a orreturning from there, will be saved by Allah from the fear of the day of Qayamat.Sha ikh Sad ooq quo tes the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) as sa ying tha t whoever dies in thec ourtyard of the Ka 'ab ah or Ma sjide Nab awi (in Me dina ), will a rise in a m anner thathe w ill be free from a ll terror and fea r.

(4) Sha ikh Sad oo q quotes Ima m Sad iq (A.S.) as saying tha t w hoever is buried in thec ourtyard of the Ka 'ba h, will be save d from the fright o f Qa yam at .

(5) Sha ikh Sad ooq na rrates from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) tha t He sa id, if a personguards himself from sins or the lustful passions (of his self), only for the sake and fearof Alla h, Alla h will ma ke the fire o f hell forbidd en up on him a nd keep him a wa y fromthe fear of Qayam at.

(6) The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) sa ys tha t Alla h will grant refuge from the fea r ofQayamat to the man who keeps away from the passions of his self.



(7) Sha ikh Ali b in Ib raheem Qum mi na rra tes from Ima m M ohamma d a l-Ba qir (A.S.)who sa id tha t w hoe ver supp resses his anger even a fter having p ow er (to reta lia te),Allah will fill his hea rt with fa ith (Eem an), and sa ve him from the t error of Qa yamat.

(8) One o f the rea sons for a p erson to b e free from the fe a r of Qa yam at is the Love(Walayah) o f Ali (A.S.). The verd ict of the Qur'an reg a rd ing it is tha t it is the bestd ee d . As sa id in the Holy Qur'an: `Surely as for those for whom the goo d (Husna) has

alrea dy go ne forth from Us, they shall be kept far off from it. They will not hear it's faintest sound , and they shall ab ide in that whic h their souls long for. The g reat fearful event shall not grieve them, and the Angels shall meet them". (Surah-al-Am biyah: 101-3) The Holy Prop he t Moha mma d (S.A.W.S.) sa id, "O Ali You a nd YourShia hs will rem ain under the protec tion on the d ay o f Qa yam a t, and the (a bo vementioned ) verse (Ayah) bea rs witne ss to it". The w ord `Husna ' used in the a boveverse (Aya h) m ea ns Love (Walayah) of Ali (A.S.) and his Prog eny (Ahlulba it). As theHoly Qur'an promises, "whoever brings good, he shall have better than it, and they shall be secure from terror on that day". (Surah-an-Na ml : 89) It is quoted in ma nyboo ks of exeg esis (Ta fsee r) of Qur'an viz. Ka sha f, Sa 'la b i, Ka bee r etc . tha t w hoeve rsha ll arise with the `Good ness (Husna ) will be sec ured on t he d a y of Q ayam a t, and'Husna ' here m ea ns Ali (A.S.). Whoever d ies bea ring love of Ahlulba it (A.S.) willbe c om e p ure a fter rep enta nc e, and w hen he shall arise on the d ay of Qa yam a t, acloud will give shelter on his head, and he will remain safe from the terror ofQa yam at a nd ente r Parad ise in this ma nner.

(9) Sha ikh Sa d oo q quotes Imam Ja 'far-a s-Sad iq (A.S.) as saying tha t if a person helpsa believer brother (mo'min), and free him from anxiety, and fulfills his desires, Allahwill offer him seventy two types of favours (ne'mat). One of them is that He willincrease his sustenance (Rizq) in this world, and seventy one are that He will guardhim aga inst the terrors and ha rd ships of Q ayam a t.

Many traditions (Ahadees) have been narrated in praise of fulfilling a believerbrother's wishes. Ima m Mo ha mma d a l-Ba q ir (A.S.) sa ys tha t, "If a mo'm in goe s to fulfillthe desires of his brother believer, Allah orders the angels to give shade of seventythousand veils over his head, and before he steps out (to go for help) Allah writesd own m any virtue s in his d ee d -sheet ". Ima m Ja'fa r as-Sa d iq (A .S.) says Fulfilling abrother believer's wishes is greater than the performance of Haj, Haj, Haj (andrep ea ted it ten time s. It me ans tha t it is g rea ter than the performa nc e o f ten Haj).

It is also narrated that in the Bani Israil there was a pious worshipper who had takenup on himself the ob liga tion to fulfill the wishes of o thers. Sha ikh Sha za n b in Jabra ilquote s from the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) that on the doo r of the sec ond hea ven hesaw the follow ing written:

The re is no God but Allah, Moha mmad (S.A.W.S.) is His Ap ostle , Ali (A.S.) is His friend .Verily everything has got a dress, and the dress of the Holy Prophet on the day ofQa yam at will be the follow ing four qua lities:



(1) To fond le w ith affec tion the hea d of a n orpha n (yateem ),

(2) To Show kind ness to wards wido ws,

(3) To go to fulfill the wishes of a believer brother, and

(4) to take c are of the poo r and the needy.

Many Ulamas and great men strived to help the believer brothers, and manyinc ide nts have be en na rrate d which nee d not b e q uoted here fo r brevity's sa ke.

(10) Sha ikh Kulaini na rra tes from Imam Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.) tha t whoever go es to thegrave of a believe r brothe r, plac es his hand on it a nd rec ites Surah-al-Qa d r seve ntimes, Alla h will kee p him awa y from the t roub les of Q a yam a t. In a nothe r tra d ition itis na rra ted tha t w hile rec iting Surah-al- Qa d r on the g rave, one should turn to wa rd sthe Qib la a nd d ig one 's finge rs in the m ud (o f the g rave).

I have seen in the "Ma jmu'a h" of Shahee de Saa ni tha t whe n he went to the g ra ve o fhis teacher Fakhrul Muhaqqeqeen, he said that the buried person (FakhrulMuhaqqeqeen) related from his father (Allamah Hilli) who related from Imam Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.) who sa id tha t w hoever goe s to the g ra ve of his b rothe r believe r anda fter rec iting Sura h-a l-Qad r rec ites the follow ing d u'a, both the d ea d person a s we lla s the p erson rec iting it will be sa fe from the fe a r of Qayam a t.

.

UThe Trumpet o f Israfeel (Soore Israfeel).

When Almighty Alla h will intend to b ring forth Qa yam at, He will ord er Isra fee l to b lowthe trump et (Soo r). The t rump et is la rge a nd illuminated , and ha s one mo uth p iec eand two tubes, one pointing towards the earth and other towards the sky. Israfeelwill go to the Baitul Muqaddas (in Jerusalam) and while facing the Qibla will blowthe trump et. When the vo ic e will c om e out from tha t sid e w hic h is tow ard s the e a rthall living beings on it shall die, and when the voice will come out from that sidewhic h is to wa rd s the sky all living being in it sha ll a lso d ie. Then Alla h will sa y toIsra fee l "Die" and he too sha ll die. Alla h ha s desc ribed the end of the wo rld in m a nyverses (Aya h) of the Q ur'an.

"When the great event comes to pass, there is no belying its coming to pass- Abasing (one party), exalting (the other), When the earth shall be shaking with a (severe) shaking, And the mountains shall be made to crumble with (an awful)crumbling, so that they shall be scattered dust". (Surah-al-Waqeah:1-6)"On the day when the earth shall be changed into a different earth, and the



Heavens (as well), and they shall come forth before Allah, the One, the Supreme". (Surah-al Ib rahe em : 48)

"When the Heavens be c om es cleft asunder, And w hen the stars be c om e d ispe rsed ,And when the seas are made to flow forth, And when the graves are laid open,Every soul shall know what it has sent before and held back". (Surah al-Infitar :1-5)

"When the sun is covered. And when the stars darken, And when the mountains are ma de to p ass aw ay". (Sura h- at -Ta kwir:1-3)

"So whe n the sight bec om es da zed , And the mo on bec om es da rk, And the sun and the moon are brought toge ther". (Surah-al-Qiyamah: 7-8)

"It will not come on you but of a sudden". (Surah-al A'araf: 187)People will be engrossed in their different activities, some will be feeding the cattle,some busy in the factories, some weighing things, while some will be absorbed in sins. But when the trumpet will be blown, they all shall die as they are."So they shall not be able to make a request, nor shall they return to their families". (Surah-a l-Yaseen: 50)

Then the angry voice of Allah will be hea rd "Where a re tho se m en w ho w a lkeda rrog a ntly over the ea rth, where a re the kings and the e mp erors who prid ed upo ntheir empires, where are the people who claimed to be Gods, where are your socalled kingdoms. Whose Kingdom is it today"? No one will have the courage toa nswer. Then He Himself will say "Verily Allah's, the Dom inant (Qa hha r), the

Co mp elling (Ja bbar)". (Ehsanul Fa wa ed )

The entire universe w ill remain de stroye d till Allah w ishes. Someo ne asked Ma 'soom(A.S.) reg ard ing this time ga p . Ma 'soo m (A.S.) rep lied tha t, "It w ill rem ain like t ha t fo rforty years". In another tradition it is stated that "It will remain like this for four hundredyea rs". Therea fte r it will ra in conseq uently for forty da ys a nd a ll physica l ma tte r willgather together and collect. Israfeel will be the first one to come to life again. Allahwill then c om ma nd him to b low the trump et a ga in, he shall do so a nd a ll d ea d w illa rise. A voic e will then c om e "0 souls d riven forth from the bod ies! and the sc a tteredflesh! and the rotten bones! and the dispersed hairs, come and join together, comeforth to a c c ount (for your d ee ds)".

Resurrection(Qayamat).

The e a rth will be c om ma nded by Alla h to vom it a ll tha t lies buried in it. "And the ea rth b rings forth her b urdens". (Sura h-a z-Zilza l: 2)

All the matter buried in the earth will come out and join. And the people will arisea nd sta nd tog ethe r. But ea c h one will have a d istinc t sta te a nd d ifferent vo ic es. The



virtuous will be uttering Allah's praises "Praise be to Allah who has fulfilled what Hepromised". While the sinners Will be lamenting while coming out of their graves “ O woe to us!`who ha s raised us up from o ur sleep ing p lac e". (Surah-a l Yaseen: 52)

It is related in a tradition that one foot will be on the earth while the other in thegrave, a nd they w ill be sta nd ing in wond er so m uc h so tha t thirty thousa nd yea rs willpa ss a wa y. This will be the first p a rt o f the p unishments of Q a yamat.

The believers will say: 0 Lord! Ha sten us to our et ernal ab od e, so tha t w e m a y delightin the b lessings of Parad ise. While the unb elieve rs will say: 0 Lord! Let us remain here,for your wrath is less here (as c om p ared to the herea fter). (Ma 'ad )

CHAPTER-VCOMING OUT OF THE GRAVE

The time when peo p le will c om e out o f the ir g raves is very horrifying. Alla h sa ys in theQur'an "Therefore lea ve them alone to g o on with the false d isc ourses and to sport,until they come face to face with that day of theirs with which they are threatened.The d ay on which they shall co me forth from the ir graves in as if they were hastening on to a goal, their eyes cast down, disgrace shall overtake them, that is the day whic h they w ere threatened with". (Surah-al-Ma'arij : 42-44)

Ab dullah ibne Ma s'ood says, that onc e he wa s in the p resenc e o f the Co mm and erof the fa ithful Ali (A.S.) whe n He (A .S.) sa id, "For every ma n the re a re fifty ha ulting

stations in Qayamat, and each station will be equal to the span of a thousandyears. Here the first haulting place is when coming out of the grave, where everyman will have to wait bare feet and naked. He will have to bear the agony ofhung er and thirst. But the p erson w ho believes in the Unity (Tawhee d ) of Allah,Proc la ma tion (Be'a sa t) of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S) Ac c ounting (Hisaa b) andResurrection (Qayamat), and bears testimony to the Prophet hood (Nubuwwat) ofProp het Mo ha mma d (S.A.W.S.), a nd follow s the instruct ions whic h have b ee norda ined unto him, will be sa fe from this a go ny (of hung er and thirst)".

The Co mma nd er of the fa ithful (Amirul Mo'm ene en) Ali (A.S.) sa ys in the `Na hjulBalagha': That day would b e suc h that Allah would c ollec t on it the anteriors and thepo steriors, to stand in obe dienc e for giving ac c ounts, and for rewa rd o r rec om pe nseof deeds. Sweat would flow up to their mouths like reins while the earth would betrembling beneath them. In the best condition among them would be he who hasfound a resting place for both his feet and an open place for his breath. (Sermon101)

Sha ikh Kulaini na rra tes from Imam Jafa r-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) who sa id tha t, "0n the da y o f








Qayamat people will be standing in the presence of the Almighty like an arrowstretc hed on the string o f the b ow". Just as when w e p lac e a n arrow on the b ow a ndstretc h it, no p lac e rema ins, in the sam e w a y on the d ay o f Qa yam a t pe op le w ill b estand ing b eside s ea c h other, a nd the re will be no p la c e left to mo ve a bo ut for la c kof spac e. The a c c ursed will be rec og nized by their fac es.

It is appropriate to quote here the various states in which people will arise out of

the ir graves.

(1) Sha ikh Sad oo q quote s from Ab dulla h ibn Ab ba s who says tha t he hea rd theHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S.) as sa ying , tha t the one w ho doub ts the g rea tne ss a nd highhonour of Ali (A.S.), Will arise from his grave in a manner that in his neck will bebound a collar with three hundred thorns in it, and on each thorn satan will besea ted who will be sp itting on his fac e w ith rage.

(2) Sha ikh Kulaini na rra tes from Ima m M ohamma d -al Baq ir (A.S) who sa id tha t onthe da y of Qaya rnat a group of pe op le w ill be orde red to c ome out of their gravesin a manner that their hands will be bound with their necks such firmly that theywould not be ab le to move even a n inch. And for ea c h of them a n Angel will bea ssigned who will be threa tening a nd rid ic uling them ., and will p roc la im: "These arethe people who were given immense wealth by Allah, but they acted miserly andrefused to spe nd in the wa y of Allah".

(3) Sha ikh Sad ooq na rra tes a leng th trad ition from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) inwhich he said tha t , "A p erson who ba c kb ites (ghiba t) and thus c rea tes misc hief anddissension among two people, Allah will fill his grave with fire, which will keepburning him till the day of Qayamat. And as soon as he comes out of his grave (on

the day of Qayarnat), Allah will send a huge python who will keep biting his flesh.and he will ultima tely be thrown in hell".

(4) The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) says tha t a p erson who looks a t no n-intima te (na -mahram) woman with lust, Allah will make him come out of his grave in a mannerthat he will be bound in chains of fire. After being brought in this accursed state infront of all the people, Allah will command him to be thrown into the blazing fire Ofhell.

(5) Prop het Mo hamm a d (S.A.W.S.) sa ys tha t o n the d ay Qa yam at d runkards willc om e o ut of their g raves with a b lac kened fac e. Their eyes will be sunken into the irskulls, fac es shrunk, a nd puss will be o ozing o ut o f the m. The ir to ng ues will ha ve bee npulled out from the ir nec ks. In a n a uthrita tive na rra tive in `Ilmul Ya qee n' it is na rra tedby Mohsin Fayz Kashani that on the day of Qayamat drunkards will be made tocome out of their graves in a manner that a goblet of wine will be hung in theirnecks, and will be holding a glass in their hands. An obnoxious smell worse than ac orpse will be c om ing out of their bod ies, and a ll those pa ssing by will be ridiculingthem a nd invoking Allah's c urse up on the m.



(6) Sha ikh Sad oo q rela tes from the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) who sa id, tha t o n the da yof Qa yam at the p erson w ith two to ngues will a rise in a m anner that he will have tw otong ues in his mo uth, one w ill have b ee n pulled from behind his nec k a nd the o therfrom the front. Fire w ill be c om ing out of the m, whic h will be b urning his entire b od y.It w ill then b e p roc laimed tha t this is the p erson who spoke w ith tw o tong ues in thewo rld . (The p erson referred to here is the o ne w ho c onfronted peo p le in the wo rldwith two fac es a nd spoke with who to ngues interest.

(7) It is related that the person who consumes interest will arise on the day ofQa yam at in a ma nner that he w ill be ha ving a large be lly, which w ill be lying on theground. He will try to bend and pick it up, but will not be able to do so. Because ofthis sta te of h is, pe op le will rec og nize tha t he is an interest-ea ter.

(8) It is na rra te d in "Anw aa re No'ma niyah" from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) tha t Hesaid, that the Almighty Allah shall collect the one who beats the tambour (a brassdrum) with a tarnished face on the day of Qayamat. And in his hand will be ata mb our of fire w hic h he w ill be hitting o n his ow n hea d . Seve nty thousand Ang elsshall beat him in the head and face with their clubs of fire. And the musicians &singers, and those who beat the drum shall arise blind & deaf on that day."The g uilty shall be rec og nized by their marks, so they shall be seized by the foreloc ks and the feet". (Sura h-ar Ra hman 41)(Ma 'ad )

(1) It is related in a tradition, that for a person who attends a funeral and walksalong with the bier, Allah appoints Angels to accompany him in his grave tillQayamat.

Those Alma l whic h are Useful for the People in Qay am at.

(2) Sha ikh Sa doo q quotes Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) as saying tha t a p erson whorelieves the troubles and helps a believer brother, Allah will keep him safe from thetroub les of the herea fter, and he w ill a rise c onte nted a nd ha ppy from his g rave

(3) Sha ikh Kulaini and Sha ikh Sa d oo q quote in a leng thy trad ition from Sadee rSa yrnee tha t Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa id tha t fo r all the b elievers who a rise fromtheir graves on the day of Qayamat, Allah will appoint a corporeal body (JismeMisali) who will be walking in front of him. Whenever the believer feels pain or isgrieved, it will pacify him and give glad tidings that Allah has forgiven him andblessed him, and it will continue doing so till they reach the place for accounting.Allah will take his a c c ount lenient ly and will ord er him to enter Pa ra d ise. The(c orpo rea l) bod y will still be w a lking in front of him. The b eliever will te ll the bod y, MyAllah bless you, you removed me from my grave and gave me glad tidings aboutAllah's forgiveness and mercy. You are indeed a sincere friend, for verily I have nowwitne ssed Alla h's b lessings & m ercy (a s you sa id). Now te ll me who you a re"? And itwill reply, "I am that very happiness which you presented to your brother in faith inthe w orld. Henc e Allah ap po inted me to a c c om pa ny you in this diffic ult journey a ndgive yo u g lad tidings".



(4) Sha ikh Kulaini quote s Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) as saying, tha t if a p erson g ivesclothes to his believer brother in the summer or the winter, it becomes incumbentupon Allah to clothe him with the heavenly attires, and to ward off difficulty duringdeath and in the grave. When he will come out of his grave on the day ofQa yam at, the Ange ls will com e to greet him a nd give g lad tid ings of Alla h's me rc yAllah says in the Qur'an: "The g reat fea rful event shall not grieve them , and the Ang els shall mee t them: This is your da y which you were prom ised ". (Surah-al-

Ambiya:103)

(5) Sayyed ibne Ta woos writes in 'Iqb a l' tha t the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sa id, tha t theperson who recites the following supplication (du'a) one thousand times in themo nth o f Sha 'ba n, Allah w ill write in his a c c ount one thousand yea rs of w orship , andwill for give his sins of o ne thousa nd yea rs. And on the d ay of Q a yam at w hen he willarise from his grave, his face will be shining like a full moon, and his name will bewritten a mo ng the truthful ones (Sidd iqee n):

(6) To rec ite Dua 'e Jaw sha ne Kab ee r in the first p a rt o f the month o f Rama zan is a lsobeneficial.

(7) Piety a nd Virtue a re the a pp a rels of the be liever. And on the d a y of Qa yam a tthe p ious a nd virtuous believers will c om e in their c lothing. These a re the p eo p le fo rwhom Allah p rom ises tha t the y sha ll not a rise na ked .

UFacts regarding Resurrection (Qayamat).

Sha ikh Ta barsi in "Majma 'ul Ba yan" quo tes from Ba ra ' b in Azib w ho sa id, tha t o ned ay Ma 'az b in Jaba l wa s sea ted in the p resenc e o f the Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S.) inthe house of Abu Ayyub Ansari. Ma'az asked the Holy Prophet regarding theeighte enth verse (Ayah) o f Sura h-an-Na ba ': "The da y on which the trump et sha ll beb lown so you sha ll̀ c ome forth in hosts."̀ The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "OMa 'az! You have asked me a very horrifying question". Then he sta rted we ep ing andsa id, "Som e p eo p le from my Umma h will a rise from the ir g raves in then d ifferentsta tes: Som e w ill have the fac e o f monkeys, while som e p igs. Som e w ill be wa lkingupside d ow n on the ir hea d s. Som e of them will be b lind and w ill not b e a b le to wa lk.

Som e w ill be d ea f & d umb a nd will not und ersta nd a nything. Som e w ill be in a sta tetha t their tong ues will be ha nging o ut of the ir mo uths, filthy wa ter will be c om ing outof their mout hs which they w ill be licking w ith their tongues. Som e p eo p le will a risewith am puta ted hand s and feet. Som e w ill be hang ing from the b ranc hes of treesma de of fire.

Som e w ill be mo re rotten tha n a c orpse a nd em itting a rep ugna nt od our. And som ewill be wearing long garments of tar which will have been stuck to their skins andflesh.'Those having the fac e of p igs will be the one s who a te unlawful (haram )



prop erty eg . Bribe etc . Those w alking up sid e d ow n on their hea ds and the b lindones will b e the unjust a nd op pressive rulers. The d ea f & d umb will be the o nes whoprid ed upon their knowled ge (Ilm) and wo rship (Ibad ah). The one s licking theirtong ues will be the Sc holars (Ulama ) a nd Jud ge s (Qa zis), who d id no t p rac tise wha tthey p rea c hed . The o nes with am p utate d hand s & fee t will be the ones whotroub led their neighb ours in the wo rld a nd op pressed them . The one s hanging fromthe tree b ranc hes will be the one s who b ac kbited a long with the kings a nd rulers (to

p lea se the m), and instiga ted them b y c rea ting misc hief. The o nes em itting arepugnant odour will be the ones who acted according to their lusts and passions,a nd d id no t g ive Alla h's Rights.

The o nes we aring g a rments of ta r will be the haughty and a rrog ant peo p le".Muhaddise Kashani writes in `Aynul Yaqeen' that on the day of Qayamat somepeo p le will arise in the ma nner that their fac es will be eve n wo rse tha n m onkeys andp igs. The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) onc e sa id tha t "On the da y of Qaya ma t, peo ple willarise in three d ifferent c ond itions.

Som e will be rid ing an a nima l, som e will be wa lking on foo t, while som e w ill bewa lking on their fac es". The narra tor (ra wi) asked him a s to how c ould they w alk ontheir fac es, to whic h the Prop het rep lied, "The Alm ighty who taught them to wa lk ontheir feet certainly has the power to make them walk on their faces".

"(that) day the measure of which is fifty thousand years" (Surah-al-Ma'arij : 4)."It is writte n in the third vo lume of 'Biharul Anw a ar' tha t Ma 'soo rn (A.S.) has sa id tha t

Qayamat has fifty haulting stations, and each station is equal to a thousand years.The e vil doe rs will ha ve to w ait for a tho usa nd yea rs in eac h sta tion". The c a lcula tionof years is a c c ording to the t ime of this wo rld , but there will not be a ny sun or moon(for da ys a nd nights). Man will be a b le to see a ll those things whic h he c ould not seein the world a t night. And a ll the d eed s which me n c om mitted c onc ea ling from o nea nothe r will be m a de a pparent in front o f all. In anothe r p la c e Allah sa ys: "And wha t they never thought of shall become plain to them from Al1ah". (Sura h-a z-Zum a r: 47)This wo rld is a da rk world , peop le a re no t a wa re o f wha t is hidd en in o ther's mind s, infa c t he is not a ware o f him self. But Q ayamat is a d ay of righte ousness. The sun o freality will shine there for a thousand years, and we will realize as to what we

ourselves were, a nd wha t o ur co mpa nions we re. The first sta tion he re is ofastonishment. As related earlier that man will stand at the mouth of his grave inastonishment for years. At this moment except humming no other voice will reachhis ea rs. "And the voic es shall be low b efore the Benefice nt God so that you shall not hea r aught b ut a soft sund". (Surah-a t Taha :108)

That da y will be eq ual to 50000 yea rs.

And they w ill try to c a ll another, but the ir hea rts will c om e to their throa ts bec ause o ffear. "When hearts shall rise up to the throats, grieving inwardly ". (Surah-al-Mo min:



18). Then the sec ond sta tion will be of c om p anionship whe re peo p le will inquireab out the state of one another.

"And some of them shall advance towards others questioning each other". (Sura h-a t-Too r: 25) In this wa y p eo p le will cross one sta tion a nd a nother. They will bescattered like moths "The d ay on w hich m en shall be as sc attered m oths". (Surah-al-Qa re'a h: 4) And will flee from their ow n p a rents, brothers a nd c hild ren. "They da y on

which a man shall fly from his brother, and his mother and his father, and his spouse and his son". (Sura h-al-Aba sa : 34-36). It will be a d ay whe n peo p le will ha ve noesc a pe bec ause they w ill be surround ed by the Ang els from a ll sides.

"O assem bly of the jinn and me n! if you a re a ble to pass through the regions of the heavens and the earth, then pass through " (Surah-ar-Rahman: 33).

"Man shall say on tha t da y: Where to fly to". (Surah a l-Qiyam a h: l0) No w ay, none willbe ab le to run awa y. "By no mea ns, there shall be no p lac e o f refuge. With your Lord alone shall on that day be the p lac e of rest" (Surah-al-Qiya mah: 11,12)

There is no othe r way exc ep t to sta nd in front of the Almighty. Then they w ill rea c hthe station of questioning. Every one will ask their friends and relatives to give themsom e o f their goo d dee d s. A fa ther will try to put a n ob liga tion on his son by sa yingtha t, "In the wo rld I bore troubles to get c om forts for you. I rem ained hungry but fedyou, now a t lea st g ive me o ne o f your go od dee d s in turn". The son will rep ly, "Ofa ther! At this mo me nt I am mo re he lp less tha n you a re". No one w ill pa y any heedto a nyone 's req uests. (Ma 'ad )

CHAPTER -VISCROLLS OF DEEDS (NAME A'AMAL)

Allah says in the Qur'an : "And when the books (of deeds) are spread". (Surah-at -Ta kweer: 10). It is one of the imp orta nt sta ges of the he rea fte r a nd belief in it isincumbent. It is stated in the Qur'an : "And most surely there are keepers over you,Kiraman katebeen, they know what you do". (Surah-al-Infita r: 10-12). In a no the rplace the two Angels are also referred to as `Raqeeb` and `Ateed`.Whatever ama n d oe s, or see s, or eve n intend s doing, is notic ed and written d ow n b y these tw oAng els. Som eo ne a sked Ima m (A.S.) as to how c ould `Kirama n-Kateb ee n' know ofthe intentions (niyyah) of people (to perform good or bad deeds), so as to recordthe m. The Imam (A.S.) rep lied tha t, "When a person intends doing a good deed,sweet fragranc e emits from his mouth.The Ang els smell this fragranc e a nd c om e toknow. Whereas when a person intends doing an evil deed, a foul odour emits fromhis mouth, and the Angels become aware". If a p erson intend s do ing a go od d eed ,one goo d d ee d is written dow n in his sc rolls, a nd if he p erforms tha t intended dee d ,



ten g oo d d eed s a re w ritten d ow n. Wherea s if a pe rson intends d oing a n evil de ed ,the sa me is not w ritten d ow n in his sc rolls till he a c tua lly pe rforms it. As written in theQur'an: "Whoeve r brings a g ood d eed, he shall have ten like it, and whoe ver brings an evil deed , he shall `be rec om pe nsed only with the like o f it, and they shall not be de alt with unjustly." (Surah-al-An'a am : 161).

It is one of the c ountless me rc ies of Allah tha t w hen a person c om mits a sin, `Ateed '

tries to enter it in his scrolls,but 'Raqeeb' tells him to wait lest the person may feelashamed and apologize for his act. He does not record the deed for five or sevenhours. And if within that period the person does not repent, Ateed says: "Verily he isshameless", and then records one evil deed in his scrolls.It is stated in traditions (Ahadees) that every man has two scrolls of deeds, first inwhich are recorded all good and virtuous deeds, and second in which arerecorded all bad and evil ones. All the acts of men are written in it, even to theextent that the air which he blows out of his mouth to lit a fire is also recorded."And everything they have done is in the writings, And everything small and big is written down". (Surah-al-Qa ma r 52,53)

Sha ikh Sad oo q relates in "E'eteq a da tul Ima miyah", tha t onc e the c om ma nder of thefa ithful Ali (A.S.) pa ssed by som e yo uths who were busy in vain a nd useless gossip,a nd we re laughing. He (A.S.) sa id, "Why do you b lac ken your sc rolls (of d ee ds) withsuc h va in ta lks"?

They sa id, "O Ma ste r! a re these a lso rec ord ed "? Ima m Ali (a .s.) rep lied , "Yes, andeve n the b rea th tha t you e xha le.The rewa rd of remo ving a thorn or a stone or a skinfrom the p a th of o ther peo ple a re a lso rec ord ed . These sma ll dee d s too d o no t g owa sted ". (Ma 'ad )

"Then a s for him who is given his book in his right ha nd, he will say : Lo! read my bo ok, Surely I knew tha t I shall meet m y a c c ount. So he shall be in a life of plea sure,in a lofty position". (Surah-al-Haqqah : 19-22). A child who secures first rank in hisschool is so excited and happy, that he calls out to his friends "Come and see myresult, that I have passed in the first rank". In the same manner, on the day ofQayamat, a believer (Mo' min) will be given his scrolls in his right hand, and he willcall out in excitement: "Lo! come and read my book. My Prayers (Namaz), Fasts(Siyam), and o ther de ed s are ac c ep ted by Allah. Come and have a look at them .Surely I knew tha t I sha ll mee t m y a c c ount. In the wo rld I wa s a lwa ys wo rried aboutwhat w ould b e the outco me o f my deed s on the da y of Qayama t. Tod ay mya c c ounting is over'. So he sha ll be in a life of p leasure. Verily the p erson will befortunate, and will remain in eternal bliss in Paradise. While the unfortunate childwho has failed in his exams, passes through the narrow lanes hiding from people'ssight with his hea d bow ed d ow n in shame . Som etime s he w ishes tha t he ha d d ied ,a nd som etimes pac ifies himself. This will be the sta te of the evil-d oe rs on tha t d ay."And as for him who is given his book in his left hand he shall say: 0 would that my book had never been given to me, And I had not known what my account was, 0

"Come and rea d my Sc rolls".



would that it had made an end (of me), My wealth has a wailed me nothing". (Surah-al-Haqq ah : 25-28) "And as for him who is given his bo ok be hind his ba c k, he shall c a ll for perdition, and e nter into b urning fire". (Surah-a l-Inshiqa q : l0-l2)

The (sinner) person will be g iven his sc rolls from behind , in a ma nne r tha t his rightha nd will b e tied with his nec k, and his left ha nd will b e stretc hed behind. The sc rollswill then be given in his left hand and it will be said unto him "Read your scrolls". He

will sa y, "How c a n I see wha t's behind so as to rea d". Then his nec k will be twistedaround. In some narratives it is stated that his neck will be turned around pulling himby the beard. And it will be said unto him, "Read your book, your own self is sufficient as a reckoner against you this day". (Surah-a l-Ba ni Israe el : 14)

He w ill rea d his sc rolls of dee d s and c ry out "'Sabb ora" (perdition) "Woe to us! What abook is this! It does not omit a small one nor a great one, but numbers them (all),and what they had done they shall find present (there), and your Lord does notd ea l unjustly with a nyone". (Surah-a l-Ka hf : 49). (Ma 'ad ).

It is narrated that many people at that time will refuse to accept what is written inthe scrolls., and will say, "O Allah! the deeds and actions written in these scrolls aresurely not ours" Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) says, tha t a t tha t time Allah will b ring forththe Angels (who wrote the sc rolls) to te stify. They will sa y, "O Allah! Verily the se a reYour own Angels and will testify in Your favour, while the reality is that we have notcommitted these acts", and they will swear upon it. As said in the Qu'ran : "On the day that Allah will raise them up all, then they will swear to Him as they swear to

you". (Surah-al-Mujad ila h:18) And when the ir sha melessness rea c hes this sta ge, Allahwill set a seal on their tongues, and their bodily parts will scream and testify againstthem. "On that d ay We will set a sea l upon their mouths, and their hands shall spe ak to Us, and their fee t shall bear witness of wha t they ea rned". (Surah a l-Yaseen : 65).

Refusal to a c c ep t the Sc rolls.

In another place it is stated: "And on the day that the enemies of Allah shall be brought together to the fire, then they shall be formed into groups. Until when they come to it, their ears and their eyes and their skins shall bear witness against them as to what they did". (Surah-al- Ha Me em Sa jda : 19-20). "And the y sha ll sa y to the irbod ily c om ponent s, "Why ha ve you borne witness aga inst us"'? They sha ll rep ly,"Alla h who ma kes everything spea k has g iven us spee c h". (Sura h-al-Ha Me em Sa jda: 21). At tha t time they will be rend ered spee c hless. "Say, then Allah is the c onc lusive argument". (Surah a l-An'am : 150) Their refusa l (to a c c ep t the ir faults) a t tha t time ,will be the proof of their ignorance. For if they accept their faults, surely Allah wouldshow er His me rc y upon the m and forgive.

It is na rra ted in "Anwa re No'ma niyah", tha t w hen a person's d eed s will be we ighe d ,a nd his bad d ee d s will be m ore tha n his goo d one s, Allah will c om ma nd His Ang elsto throw him into hell fire. When the Angels will be taking him, he will turn around



a nd see . Allah w ill ask him, "Why do you look b ehind "? He will rep ly, "0 my Lord! I ha dneve r expec ted tha t you wo uld throw me to the fla me s." Alla h will sa y, "0 my Ang els!I swear by my Honour and Grandeur, verily he in his life-time never ever thought ofwhat he now says. But now when he claims to have thought so (of my mercy), Ipermit him to e nte r Parad ise".

Sha ikh Ayyashi na rra tes from Imam Ja 'far-a s-Sad iq (A.S.) tha t He sa id, tha t o n the

d ay of Q ayam a t eve ry person w ill be given his sc rolls (of d eed s) and will be told toread it. At that time Allah will recollect the person's strength of sight, speech andmo vem ent, a nd he will sa y, "O reg rets What ha s ha ppene d to my sc rolls, for there isno big o r sma ll sin of mine w hich is not rec orded in it". Sha ikh Ibne Q uwailah na rra tesfrom Ima m Ja 'far-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t He sa id, tha t whoever in the m onth ofRama za n g oe s for the Pilgrima ge (Ziya ra t) to the Shrine o f Ima m Husa in (A.S.) or d ieson the way while going there, then on the day of Qayamat there will be noaccounting and reckoning for him, and he shall enter Paradise without fear ora nxiety. Allama h Majlisi narrates from Ima m Ali a r-Reza (A.S.) in `Tohfa tus Saemee n'that He said, "Whoever comes to visit my grave from far and near, on the day ofQayamat We shall save him from three calamities: (1) We shall give him refuge fromthe terrors of Qayamat, when the scrolls of good doers will be given in their righthands, and evil ones in their left hands, (2) He will be safe from the punishment atthe Bridg e (Poo l) of Serat, (3) During w eighing o f sc a les We w ill help him".

It is writte n in `Haq qul Ya qee n' tha t Husa ini b in Sa 'eed in `Kitab uz Zohd ' na rra tes fromImam Ja 'far-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t He sa id, tha t when Allah will wish to take ac c ount ofa believer (mo'min), He will give his scrolls (of deeds) in his right hand. And AllahHimself will take his accounting so that no one else may come to know about hisaffairs. Allah will then ask him, "0 My valuable slave! Have you committed such andsuc h ac ts a lso"? The believer will a nswer (in repenta nc e), "Yes my Lord, I ha ve

c om mitted them". Then A llah will say, "I ha ve fo rgiven your sins and have rep lac edthem with good deeds". People will look at him with awe in Paradise and exclaim :Glory b e to Allah! Verily this person is free from a ll sins.

A na rra to r (rawi) a sked Imam (A.S.) reg ard ing Alla h's wo rds : "Then a s to him w ho isgiven his book in his right hand, he shall be reckoned with by an easy reckoning,a nd sha ll go b a c k to his peo p le joyfully" (Surah-a l-Inshiqa q : 7- 9), as to who a re therelat ives of the believe r in Pa ra d ise. Ima m (A.S.) rep lied , "His relat ives will be thesame a s in this wo rld , provided the y be b elievers".

And whe n Alla h will ta ke ac c ount o f the ev il-doe rs, He sha ll d o it in the o pen a nd infront of all those present in Qayamat. And Allah will end all correspondence withhim, and g ive his sc rolls in his left ha nd from behind . The person will c ry out: 0 wha t acatastrophe! And he will falhead-long into hell. He will be the one who led aluxurious and careless life with his family in the world, and disbelieved in thehereafter. It is also a fact that in Qayamat Allah will tie the hands of the hypocrites(muna feq ee n) and d isbelieve rs behind the ir nec ks. And in the supp lica tion (du'a ) tobe rec ited during Wuzu, these two punishme nts a re d esc ribed :



Here I quote the narra tion of Sayyed Ibne Tawo os: When the m onth of Ra ma za nwo uld c om me nc e, Ima m Ali Za inul Abe dee n (A.S.) would stop punishing his ma lea nd fem a le servants for their faults. But He w ould no te dow n their name s and theirfaults (whic h they c om mitted ) in a bo ok, instea d of p unishing them a t tha t ve rymo me nt. On the last night o f the m onth o f Ra ma za n He (A.S.) would g a ther all ofthem . He w ould then b ring the b oo k a nd te ll ea c h of them , "Do you rem em be r thaton suc h a nd suc h d ay you c om mitted suc h a nd suc h c rime , and I had not p unishedyou for it"? They wo uld a c c ep t their mista kes and say, "O son of the Prophet ! Verilywe have c om mitted these c rime s". Thereb y He w ould m ake eve ryone a c c ep t theirfa ults. Then He (A.S.) would sta nd in their midst a nd te ll them a ll to c a ll out in a loudvo ice: "O Ali b in Husa in!

Your Lord ha s a lso no ted dow n your de ed s a s you ha ve no ted dow n ours. SurelyAllah has with Him a boo k tha t sp ea ks and in which a re rec orde d a ll d ee ds whe therb ig o r small. And just a s you d esire tha t Alla h m a y forgive yo ur sins, in the sa mema nner you too forgive a nd overloo k ours. 0 Ali b in Husa in ! Ponder upon Your sta tein Qa yam at w hen you w ill be sta nd ing in front of the Almighty, for Alla h is just a ndwill not d o injustic e nor op press anyone eve n equa l to the size o f a musta rd see d .Then you too ove rloo k our faults and forgive us so tha t Allah m a y forgive you o n thed ay of Q ayam a t. For Verily Allah says in the Qur'a n: And t hey should p a rdon a ndturn aw ay. Do yo u no t love tha t Allah should fo rgive you. (Sura h-an-Noo r : 22). ThusImam Zainul Ab idin (A.S.) req uested His ma le and fem a le servants to rep ea t the sewo rd s a ga in a nd ag ain, a nd they did so. He stoo d in their midst a nd we pt a nda sked for Alla h's forgiveness, and sa y, "0 Allah! You ha ve ordered us to forgive. OAllah w e ha ve forgiven a ll the ir faults and mista kes, so You too forgive our sins, forYou a re the Best Forgiver. O Allah You ha ve c om ma nd ed us not to let g o a nybe gg a r em pty-hand ed from our doo rs, so You to o d o no t turn us em pt y-hand edfrom Your do or. 0 Alla h You ha ve c om ma nde d us not to let to a ny beg ga r em pty-ha nded from Your do ors. 0 Allah! We ha ve a lso c om e to Your do or like b eg ga rs,a nd c rave for Your Me rc y and Blessings.O Allah! d o not d isap point us". Ima m ZainulAa bed ee n (A.S.) uttered the se w ords a nd the n turning towa rds His servants sa y, "Ihave fo rgiven you a ll. Have yo u a lso fo rg iven m y faults which I ha ve c om mitted ? ForI a m a n oppressive ruler and a m a sub jec t o f a Just King". Then the servants wo uld

rep ly, "O o ur Ma ster! we have fo rg iven you, but You ha ve ne ver ever wrong eda ga inst us nor op pressed us". But He (A.S.) wo uld te ll the m to say, "0 Alla h! Youforg ive Ali b in Husa in as He has forgiven us. 0 Allah save Him from the fire a s He hasfree d us from bonda ge (slavery)". His servants would say this, and the n Ima m (A.S.)wo uld sa y:



Then when the da y of Eidul Fitr would p a ss a wa y, Imam (A.S.) would fo rgive a ll thethings which His servants owed Him, and would make them independent of others.And eve ry yea r on the la st night o f the mo nth o f Ra ma za n, He (A.S.) would freea round twe nty slaves in the w ay of Allah a nd sa y, "Verily on eac h night of the mo nthof Ra ma zan d uring the t ime o f the b rea king of fa st (Iftaa r), Allah g ra nts a mne sty toseven lac people from hell-fire, each one of whom is worthy of punishment. And onthe last night of the month of Ramazan, He grants liberty to the amount of people

He free d in the who le mo nth. And I like this tha t Allah m a y witness tha t I have free dthe slaves in this world with the hope that He too delivers me from the fire of hell".

The Angels first ta ke the sc rolls to the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.), and the n to the HolyImams (A.S.). Lastly the sc rolls a re ha nd ed over to Ima m Ma hd i (A.T.F.S.) for sc rutiny.Imam (A.S.) loo ks a t b oth (g oo d a s we ll as ba d ) sc rolls, and a sks for forgiveness fromAllah fo r the sins of His Shi'ahs written in them. And tho se sins which c a n b e w rittenoff a re d one so. Henc e Ima m (A.S.) tells His Shi'ahs, "Bew are! when yo ur sc rolls c ometo m e, your sins should b e suc h tha t c an be w ritten off, and should no t b e suc h tha tc a nnot b e c orrec ted or forgiven". Then the sc rolls a re ta ken to the hea vens.As said in the Qur'an: "And say: Work, so Allah will see your work and (so will) HisAp ostle a nd the Believe rs (Holy Aimma h)" (Surah a l -Ba ra 'a t: 105)

Ang els take the Sc rolls to the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.) and the Holy Aim mah (A.S.)

CHAPTER -VII-WEIGHING SCALES (MEEZAN)

Every sect has interpreted the meaning of Meezan according to their own views.Som e o pine tha t the d ee d s sha ll litera lly be we ighed . While som e say that the d ee dssha ll be g iven a physica l form and then w eighed . The g oo d dee d s sha ll b e g iven abeautiful face, while the evil deeds an ugly one. Allamah Ne'matullah Jazaeri in"Anware No'maniyah" says, that according to trustworthy and consecutivelytransmitted reports it clearly proves that the deeds shall be given a physical forma nd then the y sha ll b e w eighed . (Ehsanul Fa wa ed ).

In som e trad itions it is relate d , that this dee ds will be we ighed with the we ight o f thedeeds of the prophets and their successors. Hence in one ziyarat it is stated: "peace

be o n you, O the w eighing sc a le" Here Ima m A li (A.S.) is refe rred to a s the we ighingsc a le. The p rayers of a ll ma nkind will be we ighe d with the we ight o f the p ra yers ofImam Ali (A.S.). Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq (A.S) says, that the weighing scale (in whichthe prayer and deeds of men shall be weighed) are the prophets (Ambiya) andTheir Suc c essors (Awsiya). On the d ay of Qayamat our p rayers will b e c om p aredwith the p rayars of Ima m Ali (A.S). Whether the humility and Sincerity, whic h werepresent in the p rayers of Ima m Ali (A.S.) are fo und in our prayers or no. Ourgene rosity. b ravery, me rc y a nd forgiveness a re like His (A.S.) or no. Henc e o ur de ed sshould not be contrary to His, so as not to turn away from the righteous scale (Ali



A.S.) and turn tow a rds His enem ies Mu' a wiya a nd Ya zid, and walk on the ir pa ths.And our characters should not be like those who usurpsd the garden of fadak ofHazrat Zahra (A.S.). (maad)

Allah sa ys in the Qur'an : "And the me asuring out on that da y they will be just, then as for him whose measure (of good deeds) is heavy, those are they who shall be successful. And as for him whose measure (of bad deeds) is light, those are they

who have made their souls suffer loss because they disbelieved in our communications" (Surah a l-Aa ra f: 9-10)

In a nother p la c e He says: "The t errible c a lam ity wha t is the te rrible c a la mity andwha t will ma ke you c om prehend wha t the terrible c a la mity is? The d a y on whichmen will be as scattered moths, And the mountains shall be as loosened wool.Then a s for him whose m ea sure o f goo d d ee ds is hea vy, he sha ll live a p leasa nt life.And as for him whose measure of good deeds is light, his abode shall be the abyss.And whose will ma ke you know wha t it is? A b urning fire." (Sura h-al-Qare'a h: 111)

The b est a c tions which help to inc rea se the me asure o f goo d dee d s in the sc a les inQa yam at, are send ing sa1awat on Moha mma d (S.A.W.S.) a nd his p rog eny, andgo od c harac ter. I sta te b elow som e trad itions on the imp orta nc e o f Sa law at, a ndlate r som e incidents of g oo d c harac ter.

Sha ikh Kulaini narra tes from Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) or Ima m Mo ha mmad -al-Ba qir (A.S.) that he sa id, "For inc rea sing the mea sure o f goo d d ee ds in the sc a les

(mee za n), no o ther deed c a rries weight tha n send ing Sa la wa t on M oha mm a d(S.A.W.S) a nd His p rog eny. A person 's d ee ds will be w eighed , and when his goo ddeeds will seem less, salawat will be brought and kept, and the good deeds willincrease.

Merits of Salawat.

The Holy prop het (S.A.W.S) sa ys, tha t on the d ay of Qa yama t when the dee d s sha llbe weighed, I will be present there, It a persons bad deeds will be weighing moretha n his go od one s, I will b ring a long the sa la wa t which he sent up on Me, and ad d itto the g oo d d ee d s thereby inc rea sing its we ight.

Sha ilkh Sad ooq na rrates from Ima m Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.) tha t He sa id, tha t if a persondoes not have the means to lessen the stock of his bad deeds, he should sendsa lawa t a nd sa la am o n Mo hamm a d (S.A.W.S.) and His p rog eny a bunda ntly, d oingso w ill de c rea se ( the weight o f ) his sins.

Allamah Qutubuddin Rawandi narrates in "Dawaat" that Hazrat Mohammad(S.A.W.S.) sa id tha t if a p erson in my love and a ffec tion send s sa law at on me thriceevery day and night, it becomes the right on Allah that He should forgive his sinswhic h he c omm itted during the d ay a nd night.



The Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S.) says, tha t o ne night I sa w in a d rea m my unc le ibneAb dul Mutta lib a nd my c ousin Ja 'far ibne Ab i Ta lib . In front of the m wa s kept a tra yfull of p lums. Afte r som et ime a s they a te . the p lums turned into g rapes. Then a ga ina s they a te, the grap es turned into fresh d a tes. They a ga in sta rted ea ting them . Iwent towards them and asked, "May my father and mother be your ransom whichparticular deeds have you performed that has excelled all other deeds, and hasma des these b lessings to be show ered on yo u ?" They rep lied , May our pa rent s be

your ransom Those d ee d s a re: send ing sa lawa t o n You, feed ing w ater to the p ilgrims(of Haj), and Love (w alaya h) of Ali ibne Ab i Ta lib (A.S.).

The Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S.) says tha t, if a nyone w rites my na me in a boo k and send ssalawat on me, the Angels will seek forgiveness for him till my name remains in thatboo k. Sha ikh Kulaini narra tes from Imam Jafa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) tha t he sa id tha twhenever you ta lk a bout the Holy prop het (S.A.W.S.), send sa law at on him. When aperson sends salawat once on Him, Allah orders thousand ranks of His Angels tosend a thousand salawat on the person himself. And because of Allah and HisAngels sending salawat, the whole creation sends salawat on him. And the personwho d oe s not d o so, is an a rrog ant a nd igno ra nt p erson. And Allah, His p rop het, a ndthe Holy Ahlulbait (A.S.) leaves such a person to himself. It is written in "Ma aniyalAkhba a r" in the c ontext of the m ea ning of the verse (Aya h) of sa la wa t from Ima mJafa r a s-Sa d iq (A.S.), tha t the mea ning of sa lawa t a c c ording to Allah is b lessings(Rehmat), while to the Angels it is safety and for the people it is a supplication(du'a ). In the same b oo k it is writte n tha t a na rra to r a sked Imam (A.S.) a s to howshould we rec ite sa la wa t on M ohammad (S.A.W.S.) a nd His p rog eny Imam (A.S.)replied,:

The na rra to r c ontinues, tha t I the n asked Imam (A.S.) a s to wha t wa s the rew a rd forthis Sa lawat? Ima m (A.S) rep lied , "A person rec iting this Salawat bec om es clea nfrom the sins as if he was just born from his mother's womb".

Sha ikh Abul Futuh Razi na rrates from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) tha t He sa id, "on thenight of me'raj when I ascended to the heavens, I saw an Angel who had athousand hands. On each of his hands there were a thousand fingers, and he wascounting some thing on them. I asked Jibrael as to who that Angel was, and whatwas he counting? Jibrael replied that the Angel had been appointed by Allah toc ount the drops of rain, so t hat it m a y be know n a s to ho w m any d rop s have fallendown to the earth. I turned towards the Angel and asked him, "Do you know thetotal amount of the rain-drops which have fallen down on the earth from the dayAllah c rea ted this world till now"? To w hich he rep lied . "O p rop het of Allah I swea r b ymy Lord who has chosen You (as a blessing) for mankind, verily I know the totalamount of rain-drops fallen on the earth till now. Even to the extent that how manydrops have fallen in the wilds, in the properous lands, in the gardens and also in thec em etery". Then I told him tha t I was wa ry muc h surprised by the p ow er of his mind



and intellect and the ability to remember, to which he replied, O prophet of Allahverily this a b ility to c ount p roves futile I try to c ount o nly one thing". I a sked him a s towha t c a lc ula tion w as that. He replied , "'when p eop le o f Your Umm ah ga ther at oneplace and send salawat upon You, it is beyond my ability and capacity to countthe rew a rd s for it". Sha ikh Kulaini rela tes, tha t w hoe ver rec ites the following sa law atseven times during Asr on Fridays, Allah gives him the rewards equal to all Hisservants, and accepts his deeds and prayers of that day. It is also related that the

rew a rd will be e qua l to the sight in the eyes of a ll ma n:

.

It is related that whoever recites the following salawat after morning prayers, will notd ie un till he sees his Imame zama n (.A.S).

UNarration's of Goo d Charac ter (Husne Khalq)

Narration:1 1Ana s ibne Ma lik sa ys, tha t o nc e I was in the p resenc e o f the Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S)who ha d w orn a Yem eni sha wl, the ed ges of whic h we re shabb y and torn. Sud denlya noma d c am e a nd pulled His shaw l with suc h severity, that the ed ge s ga ve w a y.He then shouted, "O Mohammad! Load all this wealth on the two camels, for verilythis wea lth is Allah's, and no t yo ur fathe r's" The Holy prop het (S.A.W.S) hea rd hiswords silently, and the n sa id. "Surely this is Allah's wea lth, but I to o a m Allah's serva nt.And O no ma d , should I reta lia te (fo r your harsh c ond uc t)"? The no ma d rep lied in thenega tive. The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) asked him the reason. He sa id, "O Ma ste r!Bec a use g iving bad in excha nge o f ba d is not your na ture". The Prop het (S.A.W.S.)smiled and ga ve o rd er to loa d ba rley on o ne of his Ca me ls and d ate s on the other,a nd b lessed him.

Narration:2 Isa m b in Mutlaqe Shaa mi sa ys, that onc e w hen I went to Ma d ina , I saw Ima m Husa inibn Ali (A.S.). I wa s very muc h influenc ed by His c ond uc t a nd ma nners, and thus

envy overtook me .I thoug ht of revea ling the e nmity which I bore towa rd s his father.I we nt unto Him and sa id, "Are you the son of Abu Turab ? You should know then,tha t the inhab itants of Syria a ttributed this na me to Ali (A.S.), a nd the reb y ridiculeda nd insulted him. I a ga in asked him, "Are you the son of Abu Turab "? Imam (A.S.)a nswered , "Yes, I a m. Then I sta rte d abusing Imam (A.S.) and His Fa the r. He lookeda t me with kindne ss a nd sa id, "Ta ke to fo rgiveness and enjoin go od and turn asidefrom the ignorant. And if a false imputation from the shaitaan afflict you, seekrefug e in Alla h. Surely He is hea ring, know ing. Surely tho se who gua rd (a ga inst e vil),when a visitation from the Shaitaa n a fflic ts them they b ec om e mindful, and to they



see. And their brethren increase them in error, then they cease not". (surah-al-A araf: 199-202). In this ve rse, the Holy prop he t's (S.A.W.S.) goo d c ond uc t is d isc ussed .Allah ordered the prophet to bear patiently the bad behaviour of the people, andstopped Him from taking revenge by bad attitude in exchange of people, andbehaviour. And ordered Him to ignore foolish people, and to seek refuge of Allahfrom the tempta tion o f Sha itaa n.Then Imam Husa in (A.S.) sa id, "(O Isa m) rem ainsilent and thus lessen your burden (of sins) and seek forgiveness for your self and for

me. If you see k my he lp , I sha ll g ive you a help ing ha nd , if you a re d esirous of g ifts, Ishall present you. And if you desire consultation in any matter, I shall advise you".Imam Husa in (A.S.) by his knowled ge o f the unsee n (Gha ib) and wisd om (Hikma h)und erstoo d tha t I wa s reg retting m y mista ke and wa s rep enting up on it.He thereforesa id, "He sa id, (There sha ll be) no reproof a ga inst yo u this d ay, (surah-a1-Yusuf : 92)

The a bove verse wa s sa id b y p rop het Yusuf (A.S.) to His b rothers who rep ented .Imam Husa in (A.S.) then a sked me, "Are you a na tive o f Syria"? I a nswe red in thea ffirma tive. Then He sa id , "verily the peo p le of Syria a re a c c ustom ed to a buse andridicule us, for Mu'awiyah has left this as his custom amongst them, may Allah keepthem alive as well as us too. Whatever desire you may have ask from me frankly,that will surely be fulfilled, and you will find me the best in it." After hearing thesewo rd s from the mout h of Ima m Husa in (A.S.), I wa s very muc h a sha med for theabuses, which I incured upon Him and His father. I was so much abashed that Iwished the earth would swallow me. I tried to sneak away from His sight and hidemyself amo ngst othe r pe op le. But from that d a y onwa rd s no o ne w as mo re d ea r tome tha n Imam Husa in (A.S.) and His fa the r (A.S.).

The verse (Ayah) which Ima m Husa in (A.S.) rec ited in the c ontext of p rop het Yusuf's(A.S.) tale is na rra ted tha t the b rothers of p rop het Yusuf (A.S.) rec og nized him tha tthe king who had mercy on them was no other than their brother, whom they had

tried to kill. Yusuf invited them to come along with their father (prophet Ya'qoob).They sa id, "whe neve r you invite us to your ba nquet eve ry mo rning and eve ning , wefeel asham ed a bo ut wha t we had d one with you . To w hic h p rop het Yusuf rep liedthat you are responsible for my present honour and glory. Even now I haveascended the throne of Eygpt, people look at me with the same sight and say:Glory be to Him w ho b estow ed suc h hono ur to a sla ve p urc hased in twe nty dirha ms.In reality it is because of you that I have gained this prestige and have becomerespe c ted in the e yes of m en, bec ause they no w know that I a m your brother (andthe son of prophet Ya'qoob), and not a slave (as they previously thought). In fact Ia m from the p rog eny o f p rop het Ibrahee m (A.S.) "It is a lso na rra ted tha t when

prophet Ya'qoob met prophet Yusuf, He asked Him as to what befell Him, to whichYusuf replied," O father do not ask me as to what (bad) my brothers did to me, buta sk me w ha t (favo ur) my Lord d id to m e".

Narration-3 Sha ikh Sad oo q a nd o thers na rra te, tha t in ma dina a person from the p rog eny ofCa liph Uma r ibne khatta b freq uently to troub led Ima m mo osa - al-kazim (A.S.). Heinsulted Ima m (A.S.) and whe neve r he fa c ed Him, he would sta rt a busing Ima m Ali(A.S.). one da y a person to ld Imam-al-ka zim (A.S.) tha t, "If you p ermit us we will kill



this evil and unc haste ma n". The Ima m (A.S.) wa s infuria ted a nd told them not tota ke suc h a step . Imam (A.S.) then inquired as to whe re wo uld He find tha t p ersonnow. They told Him tha t he had a field ne a r Ma dina a nd w ould be there a t thatmo me nt. Ima m Moo sa -al-kazim (A.S.) sa t on his mule a nd p roc ee d ed to m ee t him.He e ntered the field m ounte d on his mule . The person sa w Him c om ing a ndshoute d , "Do not spoil my field". Imam (A.S.) ad va nc ed further and we nt a nd sa tnear him and his field . He rep lied tha t he ha d spent a hund red Ashra fis. Then Ima m

(A.S.) a sked him a s to how m uc h ga in he expec ted from it. He sa id, "should I te ll youexpe c t". The m an replied , "I expec t tw o hundred Ashra fis yield". Ima m rem ove d abag containing three thousand Ashrafis and handing it to him said, "lake this, foryour field still needs p rop er p loughing. Almighty Allah w ill surely g ive you sustena nc etill you a re a live". The ma n kissed the forehe a d of Ima m (A.S.) and req uested Him toforgive his ba d a ttitude . The Ima m (A.S.) smiled and returned hom e. From tha t d ayonwa rd s pe op le saw him c om ing to the m osque d aily, a nd w henever he loo ked atImam Mo osa -al-kazim (A.S.). he wo uld sa y: Allah b est know s where He p la c es Hisknowledge -surah-al-An am : 125. His companions asked him as to what was therea son for this sud den c ha ng e. To w hich he rep lied , "Till now you ha ve listened towha t (ba d ) I sa id , and from now on listen to me wha t (goo d ) I say ". Then he sta rtedpra ising Ima m (A.S.), on hea ring this his c om pa nions sta rted fighting w ith him and hedefended his claim. Imam turned towards His companions and said, "whatever youwished about this man (to kill him) was appropriate or what I did is right ? Inexchange of some money I bought his friendship and ended his enmity (byfavouring him)".

Incident-1 Once Malik ibne Ashtar was passing through a market of kufa wearing a cloak anda turba n of hand wea ved c loth. A ma n who ha d not rec og nized him, looked a t himwith contempt, and ridiculing him flung a sword. When people saw this they cameto the man and said, "Do you know who the person was whom you insulted thus"?He rep lied in the ne ga tive. To Co mmand er of the fa ithful Ali (A.S.). Hea ring this theperson sta rted trem bling with fea r and ra n a fter Ma lik to ask his pa rd on. Ma lik a t tha tmom ent w as busy in praye rs in the mosque. When he finished his p rayers, the p ersonfell on his feet and started kissing them. Malik asked him the reason for it, to whichhe replied that he was ashamed of his rude behaviour and bad attitude. Malikreplied "Do not worry, for by Allah, before even entering this mosque I prayed to

Allah for your forgiveness". Malik ibne Ashtar had learnt the lesson of good characterfrom Ima m Ali (A.S.) Himself, and henc e even a fter being the c om ma nd er in c hief ofthe a rmy o f Ima m Ali (A.S.), and one of His b ra ve a nd va liant fighters, he d id notreta lia te, but instea d forga ve the ma n.

Incidents of Good Character (Husne Khalo):

Regarding the bravery and valour of Malik, Ibne Abli Hadeed Mu'tazili says that- ifa nyone in the Arab s or the non-Ara bs swe a rs tha t Ma lik wa s the sec ond in b ra verya nd c hivalry aft er Imam Ali (A.S.), and none e qua lled him, I sha ll bea r witness to it.What else can 1 say regarding this fabulous personality, except that his life



d estroyed the Syrians and his dea th the Ira q is (me a ning whe n a live he slayed theenem ies of Ali (A.S.), and when he d ied the friend s of Ali (A.S.) suffered a grea t loss)".Reg arding him Ima m Ali (A.S.) sa id, "Ma lik holds the same sta tus nea r me, as I he ldnear the Holy prop het (S.A.W.S.)" mea ning he wa s a sourc e o f my as I held near theHoly prop het.Then He turned towa rd s His c om pa nions a nd sa id, "I wish one or twopersons from amongst you could be like Malik". In short Malik's bravery, chivalry,virtue and good character earned him a very dignified position. when the person

insulted him he was hot the least effected, nor did he become angry or retaliate,but went to the mosque and prayed for the his forgiveness. We conlcude from theabove incident, that Malik had control over the passions of his self, and that thisstreng th is more w orthy o f p ra ise tha n the physica l streng th. Ima m Ali (A.S.) has sa id,"The b ravest m an is the one who c ontrols the pa ssions of his self".

Incident-2 Allamah Husain Noori in the latter part of book mustadrakul Wasail quotes aninc ident of the c eleb ra ted Sc holar khwa ja Nasirudd in Too si. One d a y khwa ja Nasee rreceived a letter which contained abuses for him and filthy language. One of thesente nc es wa s : "The dog (referred to khwaj a Na see r ) a nd the son o f a d og ". Whenhe read it he became serious, and sat down to answer it. He used neither a badword nor filthy language and wrote: "You have addressed me as a dog, but it is nota t a ll true. For a d og wa lks on his four legs a nd its pa w ha s la rge na ils, whe rea s Iam ahuman who talks and laughs, and laughs, and my qualities are averse to that of adog". After finishing he declared openly that the writer of the letter was his friendfrom that d a y onwa rds and that he b ore no a nimo sity tow ards him.

The p resenc e o f suc h a goo d c harac ter in the p ersona lity of khwa ja Nasee rud d inToosi is not strang e. Allam a h Hilli sa ys rega rding him tha t, "khwaja Na see rud d in Toosiwa s the grea test Sc holar (Aa lim) of his a ge . He has authored ma ny boo ks onReason a Authority (Uloome Aqaliyah wa Naqaliyah), wisdom a knowledge,principals of Islam the true Religion. He was also the best in character amongUlamas Khwaja Naseer had learnt the lesson of good character from the illustriouslives of o ur Holy Aimm ah (A.S.). As ha s bee n na rra ted , that o nc e Ima m Ali (A.S.)heard a person abusing Qambar, tried to retaliate in the same manner when Ali(A.S.) stoop ed him a nd sa id, "O' Qa mba r rem ain silent , for verily the person will sufferbecause of our silence. Gain Allah a happiness by your silence and let the personfa ll prey to the misc hief o f Sha ita an. I swe a r by the Lord w ho sp lit o pen the see d togrow plant from it, and who created human beings, that no other quality of abeliever is more dear and who pleasing to Allah than controlling one's temper, and

no other quality of a believer is disagreeable to shitaan than it. For verily silence allfriends and foes alike praised khwaja Naseer. Jurji Zaidan in the translation ofUad abul Lugha ttul Arab iyah w rites tha t, "khwa ja Nasee rud d in Too si's libraycontained four lac books, and he was a master in the field of Astrology andphilosophy. He had under his care many endowment (waqf) properties of themongols, in short he wa s a towe r of light in the da rkness of this wo rld ".

I have discussed about the life of this great personality in my book ufawaedeRazawiyah that his family was related to the uwasharah family of the kings of



Jahrood , situated a t d ista nc e o f 10 Fa rsa kh from Qum . Khwaja Na see rud d in Too siwa s born in Too s on 11 Jam ad i ul Ula 597 A.H./ 1201 A.D. a nd d ied on Sund ay 18zilha j 672 A.H. / 1274 A.D. in kazma yn. It is engraved on his g rave : "while the ir d og(la y) out stretc hing it's paws a t the e ntranc e".(Surah-al kahf: 18).

Incident-3 It is na rra ted tha t o ne da y the g rea t Sc holar sha ikh Ja'far kashifal Ghita wa s

distributing Som e m oney a mo ng the p oo r be fore g oing to rec ite the Nama z .Afterfinishing distributing, he became engrossed in prayers. "Give me the wealth of myGrand father (refe rred to the Holy prop het a nd Aimma h)". Sha ikh Ja 'far rep lied tha the ha d exhausted a ll the m oney a nd had nothing left to give him .To w hic h theSa yyed bec a me enrag ed and sp itted on the fac e o f Sha ikh Ja 'far. The Sha ikh go tup , a nd of the wo rshippers saying, Those a mo ngst you w ho ho ld my b ea rd d ea r.p lea se he lp this Sayyed ". It is to b e p ond ered upon w ha t a grea t c ha ra c ter sha ikhJa'far had. It is he who has authored ukashful Ghita the famous book onJurisprudence (Fiqh) while in journey. He himself used to say that. "It all the books onJurisprudence (Fiqh) are compiled, I with my memory can write down all the pointsfrom the c hap ter of p urific ation (Taha ra h) till the c hap ter on c om pe nsation (formurder, Diya)". There w ere m a ny Ula ma s from among st his c hild ren Allama h Noorisays reg ard ing him tha t, if one loo ks a t the morning sup p lica tions of Sha ikh Ja'fa r, hisvirtues, piety and worship, will understand his high honour. He addressed himselfthus: previously you were a Ja eefar (small river), then later became Ja'far (a vastsea ). Shaikh Ja 'fa r be c am e a ship (to g uide ) and a n oc ea n (of know led ge ), a ndthe master of Iraq and it's muslim inhabitants. His address to himself is because hesays that even after having bestowed with such a high rank, he never forgot thed ays of h is ha rd ships. He is among from the ba ttle o f Jam a l, Ima m Ali (A.S.) sa id toAhna f bin Qa ys. After returning from the b a ttle o f Jama l, Ima m Ali (A.S.) sta rtedpra ising his c om panions a nd told Ahna f bin Qa ys, "If you loo k at the m a t tha t time o fthe night when eyes become heavy with sleep and voices fade away, when thebirds are resting in their nests, these people remain awake due to the fear ofResurrec tion a nd the p rom ised event (Q a yamat). As Alla h sa ys in the Qur an: Do thepeo p le o f tha t tow n think that the y are fast a sleep . Som etime s they g et up in thedark of the night and weep and recite Namaz, and sometimes praise and glorifyAllah in the niche of the mosque. During the dark night they lament and wail andsupp lic ate to the Almighty Alla h. O' Ahnaf whe n you look a t them during the night,you will see that their backs have dent (due to excessive bowing, Ruku), and theywill be reciting the chapters of the Qur'an in their prayers (Namaz). And will beweeping and wailing as if they have been surrounded by the fire from all sides,

which has reached their throats. And when you hear them cry, you will think thattheir nec ks a re b ound in cha ins. And if you look a t the m during the day, you will findthem me n who wa lk slow ly and humb ly upon the ea rth, having a c ourteo us spe ec h.And when they are confronted with ignorant people they salute them, and whenthe y pa ss by va in and useless things, they p ass awa y with ho nour.

They kee p their feet awa y from sla nder, a nd their tong ues bec om e spee c hless, sothey do not speak against the honour of other people. And they keep their earsaway from listening to vain sounds, and have applied in their eyes the collirium of



refraining to see forbidden things. And surely they wish to enter the City of peace(Darus Sa la am), the p la c e w here one rem ains free from d oub ts and a nxieties

It is appropriate to quote here a saying of a monk. It is related from Oasam zahid,that one day I saw a monk in a sorry state at the gate of Baitul muqaddas inJerusa lem . I we nt tow ards him a nd told him to advic e m e, to w hic h he sa id , anima ls.He is timid and dejected, and is afraid that if he moves an inch, the beasts would

d evo ur him. And b e like a ma n w hose night p a sses in fea r (of his Almighty) whe rea sthe liars sleep in peace, and whose days are so grrowf while the powerful sitc ontente d ". Then the m onk turned his b ac k awa y from me and started g oing a wa y.I told him to a dvic e m e further, to w hic h he rep lied tha t , A thirsty ma n is c onte ntedeve n with a sma ll quantity of wa ter".

Incident-4 It is relate d tha t one da y the g rea t Sc holar (Aalim) Sahib ib ne Ab ba d a sked fo r adrink (sherbet). A servant brought it for him. As he was about to drink, one of thosepresent there to ld him not to d rink it fo r it conta ined poison. The servant who hadbroug ht the d rink wa s a lso p resent there. Sahib a sked the informer as to wha t p roo fhe ha d servant to c onsume , a nd thus the m atte r wo uld b e c lea r. Sahib rep lied ,"Then g ive it to a n a nima l to d rink". Sa hib rep lied . "I d o not eve n d ee m it to belawful". Sa ying this Sa hib ordered the d rink to b e throw n a wa y a nd told the servantto go away from his house. and not enter his house again. But he ordered that heshould no t b e b anished from the tow n, nor should p eo p le seve r relations with him ordespise him, because one should not rely on doubts, nor should punish a person bystopping his sustena nc e.

Sa hib ibne Ab ba d wa s one of the viziers of the Buwa id kings he he lp ed the c om mo nma n and wa s a m a rja . He w a s honoured by the p eo ple a nd the y held him in high

esteem. He was also a poet and an unequalled scholar of Arabic. It is saidregarding him, that when he sat down to write his orthographics (amla), peoplegathered around him to heat at least six persons would be appointed to read outhis orthog ra phic s to the p eo p le.

He ha d with him so m any b oo ks on g ram ma r that sixty c am els c ould b e loa d ed withthe m. He ga ve due respec t to the Sc holars (Ulam a ), Jurists (Fuq aha ), Alids (Alaw is)a nd Sa da ts, and e nc ourag ed them to w rite and c om pile b oo ks. Sha ikh Hasan binMo ha mm a d Qum mi wrote Ta ree khe Oum . Sha ikh Sa doo q Uyoonul Akhba rur Reza ,a nd Sa 'lab i com piled Ya teem atud Dahr for his sa ke. Ma ny Sc holars, Jurists, Sad a ts

and poets owe it to him. Every year he sent five thousand Ashrafis to the Jurists(Fuqaha) of Baghdad. Whoever went to visit him after Namaze Asr in the month ofRamazan, he did not allow the person to go away without breaking the fast (Iftaar).At least a thousand people did Iftaar daily in his house during the month ofRamazan. He gave the same quantity of alms (sadaqah) in this one month, as hegave in the who le yea r. He ha s a lso written ma ny c oup lets (Ash'ar) in the p ra ise ofImam Ali (A.S.) and vilifying His enemies. He d ied on 24 Sa fa r 358 A.H. in Ray, and isburied in Isfahan. His grave still lies there.



CHAPTER -VIII-ACCOUNTING (HISAB)

Allah says in the Qur'an, "Their rec koning has draw n nea r to m en, and in

heedlessness are they turning aside ." (Sura h a l-Am biya : 1)

"And how many a town rebelled against the commandment of it's Lord and His Apostles. So we called it account severely and we chastised it (with) a stern chastisement. So it tasted the evil result of its conduct, and the of its affair was pe rdition. Allah has prepared for them severe c hastisem ent, therefore b e c areful of (your duty to) Allah, O me n of understanding". (Surah a t Ta laq : 8-10)

Ac c ording to the Q ur'an a nd the trad itions (Ahadee th) it is p rove d tha t Alla h Himselfwill take account of all people. "And He is swistest in taking account ". (Sura h-a l-An'am : 62). But also according to some traditions this work will be assigned to theAngel. According to some reports it is related that Allah will take account from Hisprophets (Ambiya), while the prophets will take account from their Vicegerents(Awsiya), while they in turn will take account from their Ummat. "(Remember) the day when we will call every people with their Imam". (Sura h-ul-Ba ni Israel : 71)(Ehsanul Fa wa ed )

Who will Tak e the Ac c ounting?

It is na rra ted from Ima m Ja'far-as-Sad iq (A.S.) in the third volume of Bihar-ul-Anw ar ofAllamah Ma jlisi and Am ali of Sha ikh Mufeed then he sa id, "whe n the d ay ofQa yam at will da wn, Alla h will com ma nd us to ta ke a c c ount from our Shiahs(followers). We will question them about the Rights of Allah (Huququllah) and Allahwill forgive them (bec a use o f their intimac y with us). Then we will a lso fo rgive themour rights (due on the m)". Then Ima m (A.S.) rec ited the following verse : "Surely to Us is their turning back, then surely upon Us is the taking of their accounts". (Surah-al-Gha shiyah : 25, 26). In the same boo k it is rela ted from Ma 'soo m (A.S.) tha t a fte r theforg ivene ss of the Rights of Allah a nd the Right s of Aimma h (A.S.), the rights still dueon our Shi'ahs will be c ompensa te d for by the Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S.) HimselfMa y Alla h p la c e us amo ngst the Umm a t o f the Holy prop het (S.A.W.S.) and the

Shi'ahs of Ahlulba it (A.S.), a nd resurrec t us with Them. On the d ay of Q a yamat, whe nAllah will a ppoint ove r the um ma t the ir Ima ms to ta ke ac c ounts, it is a felic ity for usShia hs tha t our ac c ounts will be ta ken by no othe r tha n the Imam o f our Age Hazra tMa hdi (A.T.F.S.). whe n w e will be b roug ht to His p resenc e with hea ds b ow ed d ow nin shame and repentance, and with a blackened face, but with heads full of theirlove (Walaya h), we have fa ith tha t He will c a use our ac c ounts to b e sc rutinized b y aBene vo lent Son of a Bene vo lent Fa ther who Himself hold s a high sta tus in the eye s ofthe Almighty. (ma 'ad )



a c c ep ted my rep enta nc e". Then he w ill a sk the p oo r ma n as to w ho he w a s? He willrep ly tha t he is the same indigent fellow who wa s with him in the p la ins of Qayam a t.The rich man w ill say, "Verily the b lessings a nd bounties of pa rad ise havetransformed you to suc h an extent tha t eve n I c ould no t rec og nize you". (ma ta lib )

The fo urth g roup will co nsist of p eo p le w hose b ad dee d s will be m ore tha n theirgood ones. And only if Allah's mercy, blessings and forgiveness will give way, they

will be made to enter paradise. If not they will be punished at that very place, thepunishme nt a p prop ria te for them . They w ill be c ha stised in that wa y till theybec om e c lea n of a ll sins. Then p eo p le in whose he arts eve n an a tom s we ight offaith (Eeman) exists, will not have to stay long in hell, they will be brought back topa ra d ise. While only the polythe ists a nd unb elievers will rem ain there.

"And (as for) those who disbelieve, for them is destruction, and He has made their de ed s ineffec tive. That is be c ause they hated wha t Allah revealed , so He rendered their deed s null". (Surah- al- Mo ha mma d : 8-9). "And (so for) those w ho b elieve a nd do go od , and b elieve in what has be en revea led to Mohamm ad (S.A.W.S.), and it is the very truth from their Lord, He will remove their evil from them and improve their condition". (Surah-al - Mo ha mm a d : 2).

Wasting o f Good d ee ds (Ehbat) and Exp iatio n of Sins (Takfeer).

Ehb a t (wa sting o f go od dee d s) : If a p erson wa s a muslim in the former pa rt of his lifea nd d id go od d eed s, but turned aw ay from the Right p ath (Sirat al Mustaq eem )during death and died a non-believer, none of his previous (good) deeds willbene fit him a nd they w ill go w asted . If a nyone a rgue s tha t in the Qur'an it". (Sura h

a z-Zilza l : 7).The a nswer to it is tha t the person who d ied d isbelieving himself wa ste dhis (good) deeds. It is impossible for Allah to accept a non believer's (good) deedsand make him enter paradise. But the Just Lord gives them the reward for it in thisvery world , like ea se d uring d ea th, hea lthiness, we a lth et c . as d isc ussed ea rlier. But itis p ossible tha t the re m a y be lenienc y in the ir p unishment , as in the c ase o f Ha tim Ta ior Nawshirwane Adil who were generous, they shall be made to enter hell, but thefire w ill not ha rm them. As sa id in the Qur' an: "Nor (for) those who die while they are unbelievers". (Surah-an-Nisa : 18) In ano the r p lac e it is sta ted : "And (as to) those who reject our communications and the meeting of the Hereafter, their deeds are null. Shall they b e rewarded e xc ep t for what they have done". (Surah- al-A'a ra f:147).

Many verses (ayah) of the Qur'an prove that disbelief (kufr) and polytheism (shirk)wa stes awa y a ll good d ee ds. Then there a re a lso suc h sins tha t ob literate goo dd ee ds and stop the m from being a c c ep ted . The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) has sa idregarding a disobedient child: "O the one shunned away by his parents dowha tever you like, for none of your (go od ) de ed s will be a c c ep ted ". If a pe rson ha supon him the curses and woes of his mother, he will be thrown into hell even if hisgood deeds are equal to the size of a mountain. Also is the case with slander and



jealousy. Ma'soom (A.S.) says, "Jealousy consumes faith (Eeman) just as fireconsumes wood". (ma 'ad ). Sha ikh Kulaini quo tes Ab u Ba see r who na rra tes fromImam Ja'fa r- as Sa d iq (A.S.) tha t he sa id, "Disbelief (kufr) has three roots(foundations) : greed , pride , and jea lousy". And a s the se roo ts sta rt g a ining streng th,faith sta rts mo ving aw a y and go od d eed s go wa ste. Thus ma n b ec om es a fuel forthe fire o f hell. Sha ita an's goo d d ee ds la y wa sted bec ause o f his p ride. But he wa sgiven a long sp an of life in com pensa tion for his (go od ) de ed s. The w hole na rra tion

is sta ted in the Qur'an.

Ta kfee r (Expia tion of sins): It m ea ns tha t the sins which a person c ommits a recompensated for acceptance of faith (Eeman) destroys all the sins committed inthe p ast. If a p erson w a s a non-be liever in the former pa rt of life, but late r a c c ep tedIslam, then the sins which he committed during that period will be forgiven and willnot b e ta ken into, the sin he c om mitted d uring tha t period will be forgiven if he trulyrep ents and see ks pardon. It is sta ted in the Q ur'an: "Allah c hang es the evil dee ds to good ones". (Surah-a l-Furqan : 70)

It is written in the fiftee nth volume of Biharul-Anwa a r', tha t onc e a ma n c a me to thepresenc e o f the Holy prop het Mo ha mmad (S.A.W.S.) . a nd sa id, "O m a ste r my sin isvery big (in his pre-Islamic days he had buried his daughter alive as was the customthen), you recommend to me a deed whose performance would act asc om pensa tion fo r it, and Alla h may forgive m e". The p rop het (S.A.W.S.) asked him,"Then is your ma te rnal aunt (m other's siste r) alive "? He rep lied "Yes, she is"

The p rop het (S.A.W.S.) told him to g o a nd serve he r (for she had a very nea r rela tionwith his mothe r, thus serving her wo uld mea n serving his mother). Then He (S.A.W.S.)sa id , "Ha d his mothe r bee n a live, it wo uld have b ee n the b est c om pensa tion (for hissins). (ma'ad)

It is written in trustworthy narratives that in the former days there lived two brothers.One wa s a believe r in the unity of Alla h (Tawhe ed ) and the o ther a p olytheist a nd awo rshipp er of ido ls. They b oth lived in the same ho use, the believer lived on theground floo r a nd his (non-be liever) b rothe r on the to p one . The no n-believe r wa swealthy and lived a lavish life, while the believer was poor and passed his days inhung er and poverty. Som et imes the non- be liever would te ll his b rother, "If youprostra te b efo re the id ols a nd ac c ep t them a s your Go d s, I will off ha lf of my wea lthwith you. Why do you wish to live such a hard and bitter life. Come and prostratebefore my idols so tha t b oth of us ma y enjoy life tog ethe r". The b elieve r woulda nswe r, "why d o you not fea r Allah and the d a y of Qa yam a t. The idols hap pe nedmany times and days passed bye. Whenever they met the same conversation tookplac e between them.

Incident of Ehbat a nd Tak feer.

One night the believer was sitting in the courtyard of his house when he smelt thec ooking of d elic ious food from his b rothe r's house. He sa id to himself, "Till whe n willyou keep worshipping Allah and glorifying His name? when even after such a long



time you have not had a good dress to wear, nor a soft and comfortable bed tosleep on. You have turned old due to eating loaves of dry bread, and your teethcannot chew them anymore. Verily my brother speaks the truth, let me go andprostra te befo re his idols a nd fea st up on the d elic ious food a nd enjoy myself. He g otup and started ascending the stairs leading to his brother's place and accept hispa ga n relig ion. There his b rothe r too wa s eng rossed in d ee p thoug hts a ndwondered, "I fail to understand the reality of idol worship, and it has no benefit as

such. Verily my brother speaks the truth, I should go and accept his true religion andwo rship only one Alla h". He to o g ot up a nd sta rted d esc end ing the sta irs to g o to hisbrother's place. Both brothers met each other on the stairs and exchanged theirthoughts.

At that moment Allah ordered the Angel of death (malekul maut) to remove thespirits of both of them. Hence they both died, and whatever good deeds thebeliever (brother) had performed in his life were transferred to the account of thenon-be liever (b rother) who ha d left his house with the intent ion of p rofe ssing the truefaith. And whatever bad deeds the non-believer (brother) had done in his life timewe re likew ise t ransferred to the ac c ount of the b elieve r who had left his house w iththe intention o f ab a nd oning the fa ith. The b elieve r's entire life wa s sp ent inpe rforming g ood de ed s but died a d ea th of infid elity, while the non-be liever spe nthis ent ire life sinning yet d ied a fa ithful. The a bove inc ide nt is the best exa mple ofturning from the right (Ehb a t) a nd expia ting for sins (Ta kfeer).

Hence Oh believers, shaitaan is your sworn enemy. He is on the constant move (tillyour last moment) to turn you away from the Right path (siratal mustaqeem). Putyourself in the habit of righteous by performing good deeds frequently worshippingAllah so tha t you m ay not fall p rey to the evil intentions of sha ita an, and thus rem ainstea dfast o n the Right p a th. (Khazee na tul Ja wa hir)

It is said in the Qur'an: "And most certainly we will also question the Apostles". (Sura h-al -A'araf : 6), tha t "we ha d sent you to guide "? They will rep ly, "O our Lord wehave not left even an atom's weight of Your message to be passed on to them".They will be asked , "who a re your witne ss"? They will rep ly, " O Alla h You a re o urwitness a nd beside s Thee is Mo ha mmad (S.A.W.S.), as sa id in the Qur'an, "And thus we made you a medium (just) nation that you may be the bearers of witness to the pe op le and (that) the Apo stle may be a b ea rer of witness to you" . (surah-al-Baqarah

: 143) It the same w a y it will be a sked to p rop het Isa (A.S.), "O Isa son o f Mariam Did You say to men, Tak e m e a nd m y m other for two god s be sides Allah"? (Surah-al-Ma ida h : 116). Prop het Isa will tremble (with fright) d ue to Alla h's Glory and rep ly, "OAllah, if I ha d eve r to ld them I would surely have know n it. But I ha d a lwa ys sa id tha t,"Surely Iam a servant of Allah, He ha s given m e the b ook and ma de me a Prophet". (surah-al -ma rium: 30). He onc e wo rship Him w ho c rea ted me and you. Then theirpeople will be questioned, "Did your prophet not remind you of this day ofJudgment"? They a ll will rep ly, "surely they d id so". Then they sha ll be q uestioneda bout the b lessings sent to them by Alla h a nd as to how they spent it "Then on that

Questioning ab out Deed s.



day you shall most surely be questioned about the blessings". (Surah-a l -Takasur: 8).Did you thank Allah for His bestowing His blessings on you, or you rebelled? It issta ted tha t the b lessings of Allah referred to here m ea ns the love of the Holy Prop het(S.A.W.S.) and His p rogeny (A.S.). Ima m (A.S.) asked Qa ta da , "wha t d o you (sunnis)interpret the following verse (Ayah), “ Then on that day you shall m ost surely be questioned about the blessings.” (Surah-al -Ta kasur : 8) He rep lied , "It m ea ns tha t o nthe day of Qayamat we will be questioned about the food and drink that we

consumed in this world". Imam (A.S.) replied, Verily Allah is far beyond this, so as toquestion anyone about this. If you invite someone for food to your house do youthen question him as to how much he ate"? Qatada replied, "No, but then whatd oes this b lessing mea ns"? Ima m (A.S.) rep lied , "The b lessing referred to here is thelove o f us Ahlulba it (A.S.)"̀ . It w ill be a sked as to how d id you trea t the Ahlulba it(A.S.), d id you love the m a nd follow them , or you disob eyed Allah by be a ringgrudg e towa rd s them. "They rec og nize the favours of Allah, ye t they d eny it". (Surah-an-Nahl: 83)

Reg ard ing sustena nc e it w ill only be asked a s to how he e a rned it whether lawfullyor unlawfully. Why did he squander it or spend it on unlawful means, "I kept askingfrom you but you kept de af e ar. The w ea lth wa s My we alth, a nd the p oor were Myc hild ren, and the ir questioning (from you) wa s My q uestioning". Sha ikh Sadoo qrelates that on the day of Qayamat man will not be able to move an inch till he isquestioned about four things it on:

(1) the w a y he spent his life,

(2) As to ho w d id he w ea r out his youth,

(3) Abo ut the w ea lth, a s to w here he go t it from a nd in wha t wa y he spe nt it, and

(4) And a bout the love of us the Househo ld (Ahlulba it) of p rop het.

The first thing a bout which a person will be q uestioned is p ra yers (Nam a z). Did hesay his p rayers in time? Did he serve (rightly) this p illar of Islam a nd the Leg a c y o fp rayers , or d id he rec ite it to show off. After this peo p le w ill be questioned a boutFa sting (siya m), pilgrima ge (Haj), Zakat , Khum s, the Holy Wa r (Jehad ) etc . and the nthe righful rec ipients will c a tc h ho ld o f their shirts (and a sk for the ir rights).

Rights of Allah or the Worship Ac ts (Haq qullah Iba da h).

Allah will dea l with His servants in two wa ys, (1) with Justice (Adl), and (2) with mercy(Fazl). Allah's Justice (Adl): If a person has upon him someone's right (haq), his good

Rights of People (Haqqun Naas)



deeds (of equal weight or merit) will be handed over to the rightful owner. Forexamp le ba c kbiting (ghee ba t), de fam ing etc . The go od de ed s of a p erson whohas backbited or has defamed anyone, will be transferred to the account of thepe rson w hom he b a c kbited or defa me d, a nd in turn that pe rson's ba d de ed s will betransferred to the account of the person who backbited and defamed him.Manytrad itions (Aha d ee s) are q uoted to sup port this. There is a leng thy trad ition (Had ee s)from Ima m Ali Za inul Abedee n (A.S.) in "Ra wza e kafi" tha t o n the d ay of Q a yam at

people will be questioned about the rights of men. At the concluding part of thistrad ition it is quote d tha t a p erson a sked Ima m (A.S.), "O son of the p rop het If a non-believer who has been thrown into hell owes something to a believer, how will thedeeds be exchanged when the non believer has no more good deeds left". ImamZainul Ab ideen (A.S.) rep lied , "The p unishment eq uivalent to the right tha t he o weswill be incurred on him. Likewise the good deeds of the oppressor will be transferredto the a c c ount o f the op pressed ". The person asked , "But if the Muslim op pressord oe s not ha ve any goo d d ee ds left "? He (A.S.) rep lied , "The loa d of sins of theoppressed will be placed on the shoulders of the oppressor, and verily this is true

justice" It is na rra ted in "Lu'a li'Akhb ar" tha t onc e the Holy p rop het (S.A.W.S.) askedHis c om pa nions a s to who w as an indige nt (m uflis) person, they rep lied tha t, "Tha tone of us is an indigent person who does not possess wealth or property". He(S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "The ind ige nt from my um ma h on the d ay of Q ayam at w ill be theone who even after having offered Namaz, kept fasts, performed the Haj, paid thezakat, but simultaneously abused anyone, or usurped the rights of anyone, or killedor physically tortured someone. Hence the oppressed ones will be given the gooddeeds of the oppressor and these deeds will be their's. If the good deeds of theoppressor are exhausted, the bad deeds of the oppressor will be given to theop pressor, and he w ill be throw n into the ra ging fire". (Ma ' ad )

Allamah Jaza 'eri quotes a trad ition in his boo k that if a person ow es som eo ne e venone dirham and returns it back to it's owner, this act of his is greater than worship ofa thousa nd yea rs, free ing one thousa nd slaves in the wa y of A lla h, and performingone thousand Haj and the lesser pilgrimage (Umrah ). In another tradition Ma'soomeen (A.S.) says, that whosoever pleases his debtors (by repaying their loans),will be ma de to enter Parad ise without taking a c c ount, and in p a ra dise the y will bea mong the friend s of Prop het Isma`il (A.S.)

Allah's me rc y on the d a y of Qa yam at whe n a p erson o we s som e right s to som eo ne,and if Allah is drowning in their own sweat (due to fear). Allah will reveal to thepeople the palaces of paradise and call out to the persons who owes something

from His servants: O p eo p le w ho o we som ething from m y servant, if you wish to e nte rparadise, forgive him the rights that he owes you, and thus free him of thisresponsibility. Fortunate is the person on whom Allah is Merciful. For verily if Allahdoes not straighten his affair, his state will become bad. Imam Ali Zainul Abedeen(A.S.) we p t (in fea r) with Thy Justic e, O Merc iful Lord .

It is approp ria te to q uote here the Supp lica tion (Du'a ) of Ab u Ha mza Suma li.Ab u Hamza Suma li sa ys tha t Imam Ali Za inul Ab ed ee n used to rec ite the follow ingd u'a e very night a t the time o f seha r in the mo nth o f Ra ma za n. This d u'a is quote d in



many books of supplications and also in the first volume of Mafateehul Jinaan' bythe same a uthor. The rec itation of Nama ze Ra dde Ma za lim (Na ma z for expia tion ofrights due) is also beneficial. It's method is as follows: Recite four Rak'at Namaz (twoRak'a t e ac h), in first Rak'a t a fter Sura h-aI-Hamd rec ite Sura h-at -Tawhee d Twenty fivetimes, a nd in the sec ond Ra k'a t a fter Sura h-al Ha md rec ite Surah-at- Ta whed fiftytimes, in the third seventy five times, and in the fourth hundred times. After endingNama z ask Allah's forgiveness.

Incident-I:

This incident is quoted in one o f the writing o f Sha ikh Sha hee d , Ahme d b in AbilHawa ree says tha t I had a wish to see in m y tea c her Abu Sa lman Duraa ni (vis. Abd ulRehm a n b in Aytiyya h, a virtuous person who d ied in Dariyah in Dam asc us in 235 A.H.and his grave is renowned there). After a year I saw him in my dream and askedhim, "O d ea r tea c her, how wa s your trea tment (a fter d ea th)"? Abu Sa lma n rep lied ,"O Ahm ed one d a y while c om ing from Bab e Sa ghee r I sa w a c a me l la de n with hay.I casually removed a straw from it. Now I do not remember whether I put in mymo uth or threw it aw ay without c hew ing it. One yea r ha s pa ssed and I am still beinga c c ounted for it".

This na rra tion is not an ima ginary wo rk, b ut c an be sup ported by the fo llow ing verse(Ayah) of the Qur'an : "O my son surely if it is the very weight of the grain of a mustard seed, even though it is in (the heart of) a rock, or (high above) in the heavens, or (deep do wn) in the earth, Allah will bring it (to light)" (Surah-al-Luq man :l6) Amirul Mo' meneen Ali (A.S.) in one of his sermons says, "Will not the souls beac c ounted for their goo d or ba d de ed s on the d ay of Qa yama t, even if it be of the

we ight o f a musta rd see d ". Ha zra t Ali (A.S.) sent Mo ha mma d ibn Ab u Ba kr with apronounc em ent, "O servants of Alla h You should know that on the da y of Qa yam a tAllah will certainly question you about your actions, big or small, open orconcealed".

Hazra t Ali (A.S.) wrote to Ab d ulla h ibne Ab ba s. "Are you no t a fra id of theUma na qesha ' of ac c ounting"? In rea lity Umana qesha ' mea ns a thorn pierc ed in thebody. As a person faces great difficulty in removing a (minute) thorn, in the samema nner on the da y of Qa yam a t p eop le w ill have to b ea r hardships. Som eresearchers say that on the day of Qayamat one will be safe from the fear of thewe ighing sc a le (Miza n), exce p t the o ne w ho in his lifetime sta rted ta king a c c ount o fa ll his goo d and ba d d ee ds. The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sa ys tha t, "O peo p le ta kea c c ount of your selves be fore your ac c ount is taken (in Qa yam a t), and weight youra c tions be fore they a re we ighe d in Qaya ma t".

Incident-2 It is sa id ab out Ta wb a h bin Sa ma h tha t he d a ily too k a c c ount o f himself. One d ayhe c a lc ula ted his age a nd c onc luded tha t sixty yea rs of his life ha d passed . Then hecounted the days in sixty years and that came to twenty one thousand six hundred.



He was shocked and said to himself, "Woe be to me. Will I face Lord havingc om mitted twenty o ne thousand six hundred sins". After having utte red these w ordshe fe ll dow n unc onsc ious and passed awa y (in grief).

It is a lso na rra ted tha t o nc e the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) wa s sitting on the barrenground with no grass on it. He ordered his companions to gather fuel to lit a fire.They rep lied tha t the y we re in a p la c e whe re there w as impo ssib ility to find d ry g rass

for fuel. The p rop het (S.A.W.S.) told them to ga ther wha teve r they c ould. Ea c h o neof them c ollec ted a sma ll q uantity a nd slow ly it b ec am e p lenty . The p rop het(S.A.W.S.) loo ked a t the hea p of g rass and sa id, "In the same m a nner sins of peo p lewill be c ollec ted on the d ay of Qa yama t".

The p rop het (S.A.W.S.) wa nted to te ll his c om p anions tha t a s the d ry gra ss c anno tbe seen in that barren land, but when searched for can turn out to be a heap. Inthe sa me ma nner the sma ll sma ll sins which a person c om mits c a nnot be see n, buton the day of Qayamat when all sins will be gathered they will amount to a largestoc k. Thus Tawb a h bin Sa ma h c a lc ula ted one sin (the lea st) c om mitted in one d aywhich a mounted to twenty one thousa nd six hund red sins in sixty yea rs.

CHAPTER -IX-SPRING OF KAUSAR (HAWZE KAUZAR)

The existenc e of the Spring o f Kausa r is found in the Qur'an a nd the trad itions, it isthe a bund anc e (Kha yre Ka see r) whic h was bestowe d on the Prop het (S.A.W.S.). It isquoted in Basaerud Darajat', "Ma'alimul Zulfa", and the third volume of Biharul

Anw ar' that Ab d ullah ibne Sinan a sked Ima m Ja 'far -as- Sa d iq (A.S.) reg ard ing theSpring o f Kausar. Ima m (A.S.) rep lied tha t it's wid th is a pproxima tely eq ua l to thed ista nc e from Basra in Iraq to Sana a in Yem en. Ab d ullah see med astonished .Then Ima m Sa d iq (A.S.) asked him, "Do yo u w ish to ha ve a g limp se of it?" He rep lied ,"Yes O son of the Prophet !" Ima m (A.S.) esc orted him outside Ma dina, a nd struck hisfoot on the ground. Abdullah says that by the Imam's order the veils of the unseenwere lifted off my eyes. I saw a stream flowing beneath, and the place where wewere standing was surrounded by it. I saw on one side of the stream was flowingwater which was whiter than ice, and on the other side milk, and in between wasflowing the "pure Drink" (Sha rabe Tahoora) c oloured red like rubies (Yaqoo t). I ha veneve r witnessed suc h a b ea utiful view b efore, nor wine (the w ine referred to here isnot the usual intoxicating liquid, rather it is a pure drink reserved for the believers inPa ra d ise) flow ing b etwe en wate r and milk. Imam (A.S.) sa id, "As is writte n in theQur'an, that in Paradise flows rivers of milk, water and wine, verily this stream flowsfrom it. There a re b ea utiful trees on b oth sides of this river, a nd b etwee n the treesthe 'houries' of Paradise are standing with their beautiful hair flowing in the air, thelikeness of w hich c a nnot b e see n in this World". Then the Imam (A.S.) went to wa rd sone of the 'houries' and asked for a d rink. The houri' sa luted Imam (A.S.) and filledthe c up w ith wa ter from the strea m a nd p resente d it to Him. Ima m (A.S.) ga ve the



c up to me to d rink. 1 drank and wa s surp rised for I ha d neve r ta sted suc h a delic iousa nd ta sty w ate r in my life, nor ever smelt suc h frag ra nc e o f musk. I sa id, "Ma y my lifebe Your ransom , the likeness of w ha t I sa w tod a y c an never be ima gined in my life".Imam Sad iq (A.S.) rep lied , "Whatever you have seen is quite less when c om pa red tothe blessings reserved for Our Shi'ahs. When anyone among them dies, their spiritsstroll in these g ardens, and d rink a nd b athe in these strea ms, and thus ga in plea sureby c onsuming the d elic ious fruits". (Ma'ad)

The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) to ld Imam Ali (A.S.), "The Spring of Kausar flows frombeneathe the high heavens. It's water is whiter than milk, sweeter than honey, andsofter than ghee. It's pebbles are of tapaz (Zabro Jad), rubies (yaqoot) and corals(Ma rjan). It's grass of saffron (Za'fa ran), and mud of m usk (Mushke Azfar)". Then theHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S) p lac ed his ha nd on the side of Imam Ali (A.S.) and sa id , "OhAli! This strea m is for me and your self, and those who love you". (Ehsanul Fawaed)For the followers of Imam Husain (A.S.) there is an additional blessing. Imam Ja'far -a s - Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys, tha t the p erson who weep s on the suffe rings of Imam Husa in(A.S.) will be ha p py and c onte nted on the Spring of Ka wsa r, and will be p lea seda fter looking a t it. (Ma 'ad )

Ma nifesta tion of the High Hono ur of Ahlulba it (A.S.): Allah w ill revea l His otherbounties and blessings on the day of Qayamat, one of them will be thema nifesta tion of the high hono ur a nd position o f Muha mm ad (S.A.W.S.) and hisProgeny.

Ab dullah ibne Sa lam asked the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) reg a rd ing the Sta nd a rd ofp ra ise (Liwa ul Hamd) to b e p resented to him in Qa yamat. He (S.A.W.S.) rep lied tha t,it's length is eq ua l to the d ista nc e of a tho usand yea rs. It's p illa rs will be of red rub ies,and it's handle of white pearls. while it's flag will be of green emeralds. One flag willbe swirling in the east, the second in the west, while the third one will be swirling inthe middle. On it three sentences will be engraved , "In the Name of Allah, theBeneficent, Me rciful", "All p raise b e to Alla h the Lord of the worlds", and "There is noGo d exc ep t Allah, Moha mma d (S.A.W.S.) is the Me ssenger of Allah, and Ali (A.S.) isthe friend of Alla h".The leng th of e ac h of these sente nc es will be e qua l to the leng thof a tho usa nd yea rs. Abdullah a sked , "Who w ill be c a rrying this sta nd ard"? The HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "The sa me person who in this world is my Sta nd a rd -be arer

viz . Ali the son o f Ab u Ta lib (A.S.)".Ab d ulla h rep lied , "verily you speak the truth. Butalso inform me as to who all will remain under the shelter of this standard". He(S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "The believe rs (Mo meneen) friend s Shi'ahs of Allah, m y friend s aShiahs, and the friends and Shi'ahs of Ali (A.S.).verily this position is very high. AndAllah's wrath be on the one who believes me, or argues over his (Ali's exalted)c rea tion by Allah".

The Standard o f Praise (Liwa ul Ham d):

Ali (A.S.) will be the Distributor of Kausar (Saqiye Kausar).



The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) to ld Ali (A.S.) : "O Ali! ve rily you a re the d istributo r of (thewa te r of) kausa r". It is rela ted in khisa a l of Sha ikh Sa doo q tha t the Co mma nd er ofthe fa ithful Ali (A.S.) sa id, "I a long with m y prog eny (Ahlulba it) will be sta nd ingbeside s the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.) near the sp ring of Ka usar. Whoever wishes tomeet us should strive to emulate our actions and words. For every house has somegene rous and nob le p eo p le. Inte rc ession (Sha fa 'at ) is surely the re for our friend s.Hence strive to meet us there. For we shall shun away our enemies from there and

give our friend s to d rink from it. And whoe ver drinks a sip from tha t b lessed wate r willneve r bec om e thirsty.

It is written in the saheeh of Bukhari that when some of the companions of theProp het (S.A.W.S.) will be removed from the kausar, the Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) will say, "omy Lord! these a re m y c om pa nions Alla h will rep ly, "You d o no t know wha t the y d ida fter you. They sp rea d fa lse t ra d itions a nd ma de c ha ng es in relig ion (Bid-a t) Thistrad ition is a lso quote d in the ninth volume of the sahee h o f Muslim.

In the Tafsee r of Furat b in Ib rahim kufi Ima m Ja'fa r-as Sa d iq (A .S.) quotes a lengthyHad ee s from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) tha t He sa id : As Allah ha s p romised me, Hewill surely fulfill it. "May be your Lord will raise you to a po sition o f great g lory". (Surah-al- Bani Israil: 79). He will gather all the people on the day of Qayamat, and willerect a Pulpit (Mimbar) for (zabro Jad), emeralds (zamrood), rubies (Yaqoot) andgold. I will mount on it a nd sit o n the highest step . At tha t m om ent Jibra 'eel will bringthe Sta nda rd of p ra ise (Liwaul Hamd ), and hand ing it over to me will sa y,"OMuha mma d (S.A.W.S.)! verily this is the p ra isew orthy position (M aqame Ma hmoo d )a bout which Allah ha d p rom ised you Then I will tell Ali (A.S.) to m ount the Pulpit, He

sha ll do so a nd sit one step a fte r me. Then I will ha nd over the Sta nd a rd to him.

The Pulpit of Praise (Ma qa me Ma hmood).

The g a te -kee per of Pa ra d ise (Rizwan) will b ring the keys of Pa ra d ise a nd ha nd themove r to me . Likewise the Kee per of hell (Ma lik) will also c om e a nd ha nd ove r thekeys of he ll to me. Then 1 in turn will g ive the keys to Ali the son o f Ab u Ta lib (A.S.) [OAli ! You a re the d istributo r of Parad ise a nd hell -Holy Prop het]. And a t tha t timePa ra d ise a nd hell will be ob ed ient to me as a b rid e is to her groom . And this is theinterpreta tion of the Verse (Aya h): "Do c a st into he ll every ungrateful., reb elliousone". (Surah a l-Qa f: 24).

Ali (A.S.) will be the Distributor of Hea ven & Hell (Kaseemill Jannate wa n Naa r).

It is written in Ta fsee r Qummi tha t Sama 'ah says tha t I a sked Imam Ja'fa r-a s-Sa d iq(A.S.) that, "How wi II the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) inte rc ed e o n the d ay of Q ayamat?He (A.S.) rep lied, "When peo p le w ill bec om e w ea ry and tired and will be swe a tingprofusely, they will go to Prop het Ad a m (A.S.) and p lea d for his interce ssion. Ada m(A.S.) will put fo rth his Tarke Ula ' (lea ving the better work for a less (d esira b le thing )a nd exc use himself. He will d irec t them toward s Prop het Noo h (A.S.). Noo h (A.S.) will

Intercession (Shafa'ah).



also apologize and direct them to go to the Prophet after him. Likewise eachProp het will d irec t the m to the Prop het a fte r them till the y rea c h Prop het Issa (A.S.).Issa (A.S.) will then a dvice t hem to go to the Last Prop het Muha mma d (S .A. W. S.).Then the peo p le w ill go to Him and p lead his mercy and a sk for his interce ssion. TheHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S.) will a c c om pany them t ill the Ga te o f Merc y (Babur Ra hma h)a nd will fa ll into p rostra tion (sa jd a h) there. At tha t m om ent A lla h's voice w ill co me "OProphet! Lift your head up and intercede (for the people), for surely your intercession

will be a c c ep ted . And ask wha tever you w ish, for surely you sha ll be g iven". (Theinterce ssion by the Holy Ima m A.S.) has a lrea dy be en d isc ussed in the Cha p te r ofAc c ounting). It is na rrated from the Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) in `Khisa a l' tha t threegroups of people will intercede on the day of Qayamat, and their intercession willbe accepted

(1) The Prophe ts (Am biya),

(2) The Sc holars (Ulam a ), and

(3)The Martyrs (Shoha d a ), (Ehsanul Fawaed ).

It is written in the third vo lume of `Biharul Anw aa r' tha t the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.)said, "Do not underestimate the Shi'ahs of Ali (A.S.), for each one of them willintercede for the people equal to the tribes of Rabi'ah and Muzar" (two great tribesof Quraysh).

In `Biharul Anwa ar' it is na rra te d from the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) tha t He sa id,

"Interc ession (Shafa'a t) will be for those o f my Umm ah w ho ha ve c om mitted ma jorsins (gunahane kabeera), while those who are righteous will be in no need of it". The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) says: On the d a y of Q aya ma t I will surely inte rce de fo rthe fo llow ing fo ur type s of p eo p le:

Who Will be Interceded for?

(1) Those w ho respec t and honour My Prog eny (Ahlulba it),

(2) Those who fulfill the desires of My Prog eny,

(3) Those who work for their c ause, a nd

(4) Those who love them from their hea rts a s we ll as by the tong ue (op enly and insec ret). (Sa wa eq e M uhriqa ).

Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys tha t the one who c onsiders Pra yers (Nam az) to b eunimp orta nt or lowly will not ge t Our Inte rc ession. Imam Moha mma d -al-Ba qir (A.S.)says tha t Our Shi'a h is the one w ho o beys Us a nd d oe s not g o a ga inst our word.

If a person does not do what is obligatory (wajib) and does not keep himself fromsins a nd evil, he is not among st the Shi'ahs, and will not rec eive Inte rc ession o f



Mohammad (S.A.W.S.) and His Progeny (Ahlulbait). (Ehsanul Fawaed)In short a believer (Mo'min) should always remain between fear (of Allah's wrath)and desire (of His Mercy), for these are the attributes of a believer.

There a re three d ifferent interp reta tions reg a rd ing A'a ra f.

Heights(A'araf).

(1) Ac c ording to the rep orts of Ahlulba it (A.S.), A'a ra f is a height on the Bridg e o fSera t on which the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) will be sta nd ing a long with His Progeny(A.S.). The forehead s of the friend s and Shi'ahs of Ahlulba it (A.S.) will be e mitting alight , and this will ac t a s a permit [of the love of Ali (A.S.)] pa ss over Poo le Serat. It issta ted in Sawa eq e Muhriqa ' that no o ne w ill be a b le to pa ss ove r the Poo le Seratunless he has a permitfrom Imam Ali (A.S.). It is written in the Qur'an : "And on the A' araf there shall be me n, who kno w a ll by their ma rks". (Surah-al A'a ra f: 46).

(2) Another interpretation of A'araf is that it is a wall as said in the Qur'an: "On that day you will see the faithful men and the faithful women -their light running before

them and on their right hand, good news for you today: gardens beneath which rivers flow, to abide therein, that is the grand achievement". (Surah-aI-Had ee d : 12)It is sa id in the interpreta tion o f this verse tha t the light refe rred to here is the Love ofMo ha mma d (S.A.W.S.) and His Prog eny (wa la yah). And this light w ill be ( g lowingmo re o r less) ac c ording to the (extent o f ) be lief ( Eem an) and love (Walaya h), a ndit will be (shining ) on the right side . So will be em itting light suc h intensely tha t theywill not b e a b le to look at their feet . Som e w ill be e mitting light which w ill be infinite.While some will be emitting a weak light which will dim sometimes and shinesom etimes. They w ill b ec om e d isturb ed and c ry out "Our Lord! Ma ke p erfec t o urlight , a nd g ra nt us p rotec tion". ( Sura h-at -Ta hree m: 8) During tha t mom ent the light

of o the rs will be o f no help . The hypoc rites a nd simmers will try to g a in b ene fit fromthe light of the believers, but will not be able to do so, and a wall will be erectedbetween them and this is the very A’araf . "They will c ry out to them: Were we no t with you? They shall say : Yes! But you c aused yourselves to fa ll into tem pta tion, and you waited and doubted, and vain desires deceived you, till the threatened punishment of Allah came, which the arch deceiver deceived you about Allah". (Sura h a l-Had ee d : 14 ) "On the day when the hypocritical men and the hypoc ritic al wo me n will say to those who believe: Wait for us, that we my have light from your light, it shall be said: Turn bac k a nd see k a light. Then sepa ration will be brought abo ut betwe en them, with a w all having a do or in it, (as for) the inside o f it,there shall be mercy in it, and (as for) the outside of it, there shall be punishment". (Sura h-aI Ha dee d : 13).

(3) A'a ra f is a p la c e b etwe en Pa ra d ise a nd hell. The o ppressed ones (musta z-afeen), idiots and insane people foolish women, children who have died beforeattaining adulthood, people who have died between the appearance of twoProp hets (and did no t me et either of them ), and p eop le w ho we re a live a t that timebut the Prop het's me ssage d id not rea c h them , will be m ade to dwe ll therein) Thereshall be no blessings and pleasures of Paradise and no punishment and wrath of



Allah. Sha ikh Sa 'ad i sa ys: A'a raf is (like a hell in the eye s of the 'houries', but fo r thepeo p le o f hell it is eq ua l to p a rad ise .

CHAPTER -XBRIDGE OF SERAT (POOLE SERAT)

Serat' in the g ra mm atica l sense m ea ns a w a y or a roa d , a nd it's me aning a c c ordingto the Sha ri'ah is a b ridg e o r a road which pa sses from the top of he ll. In a tra d itionfrom Ma 'soo m (A.S.) it is sta ted tha t `Poo le Serat ' is a b ridg e thinner than a ha ir,sha rper tha n a swo rd , and hotte r tha n fire (o f this wo rld). The t rue b elievers(Mo 'me nee n) will pa ss over it spee d ily like lighte ning. Som e w ill find som e d ifficultyover it, but will later find relief. While there will be some who will slip and fall down inthe p it of he ll. The likene ss of 'Poole Sera te ' is of "The Right Path (Sera ta l Musta qee m)of this wo rld , the pa th of Ali (A.S.) and Aimm a h (A.S.)'s ob ed ienc e.The person who in this wo rld turned awa y from the `Serata l Musta qee m' (The pa th o fAhlulbait) in word and deed, and was attracted towards falsehood, on the day ofQa yamat he will slip over the Poo le Serat a nd fa ll into hell. In Surah-a l-Hamd , Serata lMusta qee m' refers to b oth these pa ths (The pa th o f Ahlulb a it a nd Poo le Serat ).Allamah Ma jlisi in his boo k `Haqq ul Yaqee n' quotes from Sha ikh Sad oo q tha t: Ourbelief concerning Qayamat is that the Passes (Aqabaat) have each a specificna me . som e a re c a lled Fa rz (c om pulsory Acts), others Amr (Co mm and s), yet othe rsNahy (Prohib itions). So when a ma n will rea c h the Pass of Farz, and he ha dneglected it (in his life), he will be stopped there and imprisoned for a thousandyears, and the dues of Allah will be demanded of him. Now if he goes out of it bymeans of some good act performed by him in the world, or by the Mercy of Allah,

then he escapes from it and goes on to another Pass. He will not cease to be sentfrom one Pass to another, and be stopped and questioned regarding hisshortc om ing s in respest of ea c h sta ge.

If he escapes safely from all the Passes, he will arrive at the abode of Permanence(Darul Baqa). Here he comes upon everlasting life, and perpetual beautitude,without any a ffliction w ha t so e ver. He w ill resid e in the neighb ourhood of Allah, withthe Prop het s (A.S.), and the Ima m (A.S.), the verc a ious ones, the Ma rtyres(Shoha d a), and the righte ous ones from among His slaves. And if he is stopped a t aPa ss, and is questione d about a c ertain due in respec t o f which he is found wa nting.and neither a good action on his part nor the Mercy of Allah reaches him, his stepwill stumb le a nd he w ill be hurled d ow n in the fire o f hell. (E teq a da tul Ima miyah).

Imam Moha mmad -al-Ba q ir (A.S.) sa ys, tha t when the verse (Aya h) "And hell is ma de to app ear on that day" (Surah-al-Fajr: 23) was revealed, the Holy Prophet (S.A.W.S.)was asked regarding it's interpretation. He replied, "Jibra'eel has informed me thatwhen Allah w ill have ga thered everyone from the b eg inning to the end on the d a yof Qa yam a t, one thousand Ang els will b ring the he ll p ulling it with a thousand rop eswith great difficulty. Hell will be roaring and raging with anger and the voice of



brea king (o f bo nes) will be hea rd from it. At that mo me nt a feroc ious voice w ill eruptfrom it, whic h Alla h has reserved to take the a c c ount o f pe op le, and every one willperish (with fear). Men, Angels, and the Prophet will be wailing with fright. Man willc ry out, "Our Lord! sa ve me, save me", while the Prop het s will c ry out, "O Lord! savemy p eo p le (umrna t)". So ea c h Prop het w ill ta ke ac c ount from Their peo p le (umma t)a nd wa lk over the Poo le Serat. No one will have a ny esc ape from w a lking o ver it.Allah says in the Qur'an “And there is not one of you but shall come to it, this is an

unavoidable decree of your Lord. And we will deliver those who guarded (against evil,) and we will leave the unjust therein on their knees". (Surah-al -Ma rya m: 71-72)".

The n the Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) sa id, "This bridge c onta ins seven Passes (Aq abat), andeach Pass has got a station equal to seventy farsakh, and seventy thousand Angelshave be po gted on e ac h station. All the p eop le will have to c ross these Passes".

The first sta tion here is of kind ne ss (Sile Ra hm ). The person w ho in this world is no tmerc iful towa rd s his pa rent s will have a short life . He will not p rosper (in w ea lth), a ndin the Hereafter will be stop ped on the first sta tion on poo le Serat, and no m ercy w illbe shown towa rd s him. The Holy Qur'an a dmonishes us in the fo llowing words : "And be careful of (your duty to) Allah, by whom you demand one of another (your rights), and to the ties of relationship". (Surah- an- Nisa : 1) So w hen one of yourrelatives is sick visit him, if he is indigent help him and fulfil his wants, and visit them (your relat ives) on im porta nt d ays (of Eid e tc .). The sec ond sta tion is of Trust(Am a na h). Trust d oe s not only includ e w elth, but a lso if som eo ne c onfid es in youand tells a secret requesting you not to reveal it to anyone, this too is included intrust. If you disclose it to another, you have committed breach of trust. If youdisgrac e som eo ne, you have c om mitted breac h. And a lso if som eone keep s som e

we a lth w ith you a s a trust a nd eve n a fter promising to return it, you refuse to do so,you a re sa id to have c om mitted b rea c h (of trust). The sa me rule app lies for hire. Ifyou borrowed something from someone for a fixed period, after the period havingexpired you d o no t return it, it will be d ee me d as being a violation o f trust.

1 st. Pass: kind ness (Sile Raham), Trust (Amanah), Love of Ahlulbait (A.S.) (Wala ya h).

Sha ikh Husa in bin Sa ' ee d a l Ahwa zi rela tes from Imam Mo ha mma d -al- Ba qir (A.S.)that one d ay som eone ga ve the go od news to Ab u za rr that his sons had brought ahuge stoc k of c a ttle, and tha t his Prop erty had increased . To whic h Ab u Za rr rep lied ,"The inc rea sme nt o f prop erty will not m a ke me happy, nor d o I co nsid er it to b e aprosperity for I believe in being mod erate and little is sufficient for me . The g ua rd ing

of this property would have made me busy and being negligent (of my dutytowa rds Alla h). I ha ve heard the Me sseng er of Allah (S.A.W.S.) as saying tha t, on theday of Qayamat when a person who is trustworthy and kind passes over the pooleSerat' kind ness and trust w ill be on both the sides to sup p ort him. It is a lso rela ted tha tthe person w ho ha s c om mitte d b rea c h of trust or severed rela tions with his kith a kin,on the d ay o f Qa yam at when he will wa lk over the p oo le Sera t, none of his de ed swill be o f any help to him, a nd he w ill fall fla t into the p it of hell.



The third sta tion is of Love of Ahlulba it (A.S.) (Wa laya h). Reg ard ing the love ofAhlulba it (A.S.) ma ny trad itions ha ve bee n quo ted in the Shi'ah a s well a s Sunniboo ks, tha t Wa laya h m ea ns the Love of Ima m Ali (A.S.). In Ta fsee re Sa 'la bi it iswritten regarding the verse : "And stop them, for they shall be questioned". (Sura h-a l-Saffat : 24). It is sa id tha t p eo p le w ill be stop ped a nd a sked if they a c c ep ted thewa laya h' of Imam Ali (A.S.) in the world a nd sa id, "Aliyyun Waliyulla h", while believingin it. Alla ma h Huwa inee and Taba ri both g rea t sc holars of the Ahle Sunna t q uote the

Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) a s sa ying O' Ali ! Whoever denies your love will be stopped(from going further) over the poole Serat". In Sa waeq e Muhriqa it is written tha twhoe ver has got the p assport o f the Love of Ali (A.S.) will pa ss ea sily over the Serat .Many other traditions are quoted which cannot be written here due to lack ofspace.

On this pass a person will be stopped and questioned regarding the five dailyprayers, the p rayer of Signs (Nama ze Ayaa t), and elap sed p ra yers (Nam a ze Qa za ),about which it has been discussed in the chapter of "Accounting"Imam Ja'fa r- a s-Sad iq (A.S.) in his last will sa id "Whoe ver c onside ring Na ma z to beunimportant (or lowly) will not receive our Intercession (in Qayamat)".Allah says in the Qur'an, "Woe to the praying ones, who are unmindful of theirp raye rs". (Surah- al-Ma 'oo n : 4-5). The person who does no t offer Namaz d ies thirsty,and will also arise thirsty from his grave. People should themselves recite Namaz &)advice others to do so. We should adapt our children to offer Namaz before theyrea c h p ube rty, bec ause p a rents of a c hild rec iting Nama z too ge t a share in theirrewards. Parents who advise their children (while they are still young) to do gooddeeds and their children in turn follow them, such parents receive the rewardthereo f. And a fter a c hild rea c hes pub erty the g oo d d eed s a re reco rd ed in his ow n

scrolls. Once a Prophet was passing from near a grave with his companions, whensuddenly he told them to pass away quickly for the person in the grave was beingchastised by Allah's wrath. One year later when he passed by that same grave, hesensed that the wrath of Allah had been lifted up from the grave. He wasa stonished a nd a sked Alla h the rea son for it. Alla h relied , "This person ha d leftbehind him a child who was sent to school, his teacher taught him to recite"Bismillahir Ra hm a nir Raheem " .Thus when his c hild a dd ressed Me a s being aBeneficent and Merciful Lord, I forgave his parents, for they have been a mediumfor his birth. I felt ashamed that in spite of their child addressing me thus, I shouldpunish them". "O' you who believe ! save your selves and your families from a fire

whose fuel is men a nd sto nes". (Surah- at Tahreem: 6) Then we should w a rn ourrelatives and friends (from the wrath of Allah) by enjoining good (Amr bil Ma'roof)a nd forbidd ing evil (Nahy a nil Munkar).

2nd. Pass-Na maz.(Salat)

If a person in his life has not paid zakat or khums due on him (even equal to ad irha m) to the d esee ving p ersons will be stopped a t this p ass. The Holy Prop het

3rd . Pass - Zaka t.



(S.A.W.S.) sa ys, that on the d a y of Qayama t, the no n-pa yer of zakat ' will be in astate that a python (ca lled Aq ra ) will be w ound a round his nec k. (Aq ra is the na meof a python, the hairs of whose body have fallen off due to intense poison in it). Inanother tradition it is stated that if a person does not pay ukhums' due on hisagricultural field, on his neck will be placed a chain of the seven worlds on the dayof Q a yamat. It is a lso rela ted tha t w hen Ima m- al- Ma hd i (A.T.F.S.) rea p pea res, Heshall put to d ea th those w ho d o no t p ay zakat d ue o n them . The p erson ho ards

la rge p rovisions of g old a nd silver (will zakat d ue o n them ), on the d ay of Qa yam a tthese dirhams and dinars will be made red hot in fire and will be placed on theirforeheads and their sides. As said in the Qur'an, "on the day when it shall be heatedin the fire of hell, then their foreheads and their sides and their backs shall bebrand ed with it, this is wha t you hoa rd ed up for yourselves, therefo re t a ste wha t youhoa rd ed ". (Surah- a l - Ba ra 'at : 35) There is no d ifferenc e b etwee n the Za kat o fwe a lth a nd the Zakat o f bo d y (Fitrah). Ma ny harsh wo rd s have b ee n used reg ard ingthe non payment of khums’, and many traditions are found regarding it. Onetrad ition nee ds to be quote d here from Usul’ a l ka fi’ tha t Imam Ja 'far- as-Sa d iq (A.S.)says that on the day of Qayamat the most difficult time will be when the deservingpe rson o f khums will ca tc h hold o f the e nd of the shirt of t he o ne w ho d id not p a y it.They will ask for their right from them on this pass, and will not a llow him to movefurther until he gives them their due rights. But the situation will become even worsewhen the Inte rc ed ers (Ahlulb a it) the mselves will ask for Their Right s (khums) frompeople.

4 tn.

On the fo urth p a ss peo p le w ill be questione d reg a rd ing fasting. If a person ha s bee nfasting in this world, only then shall he be permitted to pass over it easily, otherwisehe sha ll be sto pped the re. The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) ha s sa id, "Fasts ac t a s a shield

a ga inst the flam es of the fire of hell". The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) ha s sa id, "For theone who fasts there are two good tidings for him, one at the time of breaking thefa st (Ifta a r), while the sec ond when he sha ll mee t his Lord. He w ill then p a ss over thepoo le Serat ea sily a nd ente r the p resenc e of his Almighty.

Pass-Fasting(Saum).

5 th

If the performance of Haj becomes obligatory (wajib) on a person in his lifetime,and he does not perform it, then he shall be stopped at this pass. It is stated thatduring death it will be said unto him "You have died the death of a jew or a

c hristian. You a re not a ssoc iate d with Islam ” . It is sa id in the Qur'an, "And p ilg rima geto the House is incumbent upon men for the sake of Allah, (upon) everyone who isa b le to und ertake the journey to it, and whoever disbelieve s, then surely Alla h is Self-sufficient , above a ny need o f the w orld ". (Sura h-al-Aale Imra an : 96)

.Pass-Pilgrimage (Haj)

6 th

Ac c ording to Ibne Ab bas p urific a tion (Taha ra h) is of three type s Ab lution (Wuzu'),Ba th (Ghusl), and Ta yam mum , while othe rs c onsider it to b e a bsolute p urific a tion (of

. Pass-Cleanline ss(Taharah).



the body as well as the soul). If a person does not take care of cleanliness (orpurification), specially those men and women who do not perform the ceremonialbath (Ghusle Janabat) correctly or on it’s prescribed time, shall be stopped at thispass. Women should also take care about the performance of other baths (viz.Qhusle Haiz, Nifaas, lztahaza etc.), and not be negligent about it as is the customamongst. ignorant people. It is related that a person who does not keep himselfaway from impurities, he will face the squeeze in the grave (as has been discussed

in the chap ter of “ Grave” ).

7 th

Mazalim is sometimes interpreted as justice while sometimes it refers to the rights ofothers. The Holy Qur'a n sa ys a bout this pa ss: ".Mo st surely your Lord is wa tc hing ".(Surah-al-Fa jr : 14) In inte rpreta tion of this ve rse Lord is sa id tha t som e p eop le will bepa ssing ove r the poo le Serat in a ma nner that they w ill be c lasp ing it b y their ha nds.Others will be walking in manner that one leg of their's will be slipping and they willbe taking help of their second leg, while the Angels will be standing on both sides.Peo p le w ill be fa lling into the fire o f hell like b a ts (fa lling o n the g round ). The p ersonwho is fortunate to get the Mercy and Blessings of Allah will pass over the pooleSerat easily and will say, "All p ra ise b e to A lla h, for verily He ha s c om pleted my goo ddeeds with His Mercy and Blessings and increased my reward. I thank Him that Hewith His Beneficence and kindness gave me freedom, when I had lost all hope".Without doubt Allah is the forgiver of sins of His servants and the rewarder of theirgood deeds. If a person has troubled someone with no fault of his, he will beimp risoned for five hund red yea rs on this pa ss so muc h so tha t his bones will b rea k. Ifa person has usurped someone's wealth, he will be imprisoned for forty years on thispa ss and the n he sha ll be thrown into the fire o f hell. In trad itions it is na rra ted tha t inexchange for one (usurped) dirham, seven thousand (accepted) prayers of the

usurper will be g iven to the p erson w hose d irham he ac quired . (It ha s a lrea d y be end isc ussed in de ta il in the c ha p ter of Acc ounting).

. Pass-Rights (Mazalim).

Incident.

Allamah Ba ha ud d in Sa yyed Ali b in Abd ul karim Neeli Naja fi (wha tever p ra ise o f his isd one w ill be q uite less, who wa s the stud ent of Sha ikh Sha heed ), in his b oo k Anwa rulMa ziyyah (writte n in p ra ise o f Imam A li) na rra tes an incident from his fa ther who saystha t : In Neela (a villa ge in Aba ee ) there lived a person w ho w a s the superintend entof the Mosque . One da y he did no t c om e o ut of his house, when p eop le c alled him

he exc used himself. Peo p le inquired a bout it and they found out tha t his entire b od ywas charred except his thighs, and he was groaning with pain and sorrow. Whenpe op le a sked him how he b urnt himself he rep lied that, “ I dream t that Q aya ma t hasd aw ned , a nd p eop le a re in ang uish be c a use m ajority of them a re b een thrown intohell, while a small minority was going towards paradise. I was among those whowe re g oing tow ards pa rad ise. Sudd enly I rea c hed a large and leng thy bridg e w hic hwa s refe rred to as poo le Serat.’ I sta rted wa lking on it, and as muc h a s I wa lked itsbreadth became narrow and it's length increased until I reached a place where itturned sharper than a sword. Beneath was a large valley full of black and roaring



fire who se flam es we re spurting out like la rge mo unta in p ea ks. Som e peo p le wa lkeda wa y ea sily while som e slipped and fell d ow n. And I was so m uc h sc a red tha t I ha dno o ther wish exce p t to c ross the b ridge rap idly. Sud denly I rea c hed tha t p lac ewhere I could no longer control myself and I fell head- long into the pit of theb lazing fire. it's pit had no e nd and the fire p ulled me d ow n. I c ould no t eve n sc rea mand my mind went blank, and I reached down equal to the distance of seventyyea rs. Sud denly I wa s inspired a nd I c a lled out "O Ali ibne Ab i Ta lib! O Am ira l

Mo'meneen! help me my Lord". At that moment I saw a person standing on theed ge o f the va lley. I rec og nized him to be no othe r tha n my Ma ster Ali (A.S.). Icalled out to Him and He commanded me to extend my hand. I did so and Hepulled me o ut o f the b lazing fire. Then He (A.S.) sta rted extinguishing the fire from mythighs with His b lessed hand s. I sud denly woke up from my d rea m a nd found tha t m ywhole b od y wa s burnt, exc ep t my thighs where m y Ma ste r ha d laid His ha nd s". Thisperson trea ted his wo unds for three months a nd wa s c ured .

Now whenever I relate this incident to anyone, he develops fever (due to fear),while only som e rem ain un effec ted .

(1) Sa yyed ibne Tawoo s in his boo k Iq ba l rela tes tha t whoe ver rec ites tw enty units(Ra k'a t) of p ra yers a fter Na ma ze Ma ghrib on the night of the first o f Ra ja b , suc h tha tin eac h Ra k'a t a fter Sura b-al -Ha md rec ites onc e Surah-al-Ta whe ed , then he and hisfamily will be saved from the punishme nt in the grave , and will cross the poo le Seratlike lighte ning without a ny a c c ounting.

Those A'm al whic h Prove Help ful to Pass over the Poo le Serat Easily.

(2) It is rela ted tha t whoever fasts for six da ys in the m onth o f Ra jab will find p ea c e inQa yam at, and will wa lk over the po ole serat ea sily without b een a c c ounted .

(3) It is related that a person who recites ten units of Namaz on the night of twentyninth Sha 'ba n, suc h tha t in ea c h unit a fter Surah-a l-Hamd rec ites ten times Surah-at-Ta kasur, Surah-an-Naa s, Surah-al -Fa laq , Surah-al-kafe roon, a nd Surah-at -Tawheedeach, Allah will give him reward equal to theologians, and will increase his goodd ee ds, will ea se his ac c ounting, a nd he w ill c ross the poo le Serat like lighte ning.(4) As discussed in the earlier chapter, that whoever goes for pilgrimage to theshrine o f Ima m Ali-ar-Reza (A.S.), Ima m (A.S.) Himself comes fo r his resc ue (inQayamat) at three different places and saves him from the terrors of that day oneof w hich is the Bridg e o f Serat ’ .

CHAPTER -XI-

HELL (DOZAKH)

Hell is a valley whose depth cannot be imagined, and the fire of Allah's wrath isblazing therein. It can also be called the prison of the hereafter. In it lies different



types of punishments which cannot be perceived by a man's intellect. In fact it isopposite to paradise wherein are different types of blessings and pleasures. But inhell there is hardship, restlessness and humiliation. We quote here some of the versesof the Qur' a n w hic h throw light o n these punishme nts.

Allah sa ys, "Then sha ll you, O yo u who e rr and c all it a lie! Most surely eat of a tree of zaqqom” . (Surah-al Wa qe' ah : 51,52) It is tree which g rows in the p it of hell, it's fruitsugly and bitter. It is (poisonous) like the fang of a snake, and the touch of it makesmen fea r. This is the foo d of the dwellers of hell. "And fill (your) bellies with it, then drink over it of boiling wa ter". (Sura h-al-Wa q e'a h: 53,54) It is rela ted tha t one of thepunishments by Alla h fo r the p eo p le of hell will be intense thirst. Then a fte r a longtime hot boiling water mixed with pus will be given to them, and they will drink itbec ause of e xtrem e thirst.

Food and Drink o f the People of Hell.

“And who are made to drink boiling water, so it rend their bowels asunde”. (Surah-

al-Mohammad:5) It is related that if a drop of that water be put on a mountain (inthis wo rld ), it will be red uc ed to d ust. “ And drink as drinks the thirsty c am els” . (Surah-a l-Wa qe'a h: 55). They will d rink tha t w a te r liter like a c amel who is thirsty from manydays, and drinks whilst shivering. Heem (the water referred to in this verse) is thep lura l of Aheem ’ which mea ns a c amel suffering from a d isea se. This d isea se isequivalent to dropsy, which usually happens to a camel, in which it keeps drinkingwa te r but is not sa tiated until it d ies. This will be the sta te of the d we llers of hell. “ This is their entertainment on the day of requital". (Surah-al Wa q e'a : 56) This ̀ Za qqoom'a nd `Ha me em ' will be g iven to them in Qa yam a t a s a n introd uc tion to Alla h's wrath.And whatever is destined in hell (for the disbelievers) is far more harsh and beyond

description . "Surely the tree o f the zaq qoom, is the food of the sinful, like d regs of oil,it shall boil in (their) bellies, like the boiling of hot water". (Surah ad - Dukhan : 43-46).And bec ause o f it the intestines a nd stoma c h will melt. This same b oiling wate r willbe throw n on their hea d s, as a result o f whic h their who le b od y will melt. "Then pour over his head of the torment of boiling water”. (Surah-ad Dukha n : 48). Even a fte rsuch state their punishment will not be lessened. “ Their c hastisem ent shall not b e lightened nor shall they be given respite”. (Surah-al- Baqarah: 162)"So often as their skins are thoroughly burned, we will change them for other skins,that they may taste the chatisement ". (Sura h-a n- Nisa : 56) "Surely with Us are heavy fetters and a flam ing fire, and food that c hoke s and a p ainful punishme nt". (Surah-alMuzzammil: 12,13) Among the other foods of the dwellers of hell is `Ghasaleen assa id in the Qa r'an, "Nor that food exc ep t refuse". (Surah-al-Haqqa h: 36) It is written in`Ma j'ma' ul Ba hra yn that w hate ver is excrea ted from the stom a c h of the p eo ple ofhell, will be g iven to them for eat ing . "Mad e to d rink from a bo iling spring. They shall have no food but of thorns, which will neither fatten nor awail against hunger". (Surah-al- Gha shiyah: 5-7) "And he shall be given to d rink o f festering wa ter " (Sura h-a I-Ib ra hee m : 16) The feste ring w ate r refe rred to in this verse is the b lood a ndwa stag e w hic h will be o ozing o ut of the private pa rts of fornic a ting w om en, and willbe given to the dwellers of hell to drink. "But boiling and intensely cold water" ,



(Sura h-an Nab 'a: 25). The interprete rs say tha t `G ha ssaq ' (the wate r refe rred to in thisverse) is a spring in hell which contains venom of poisnonous animals, and this alsosha ll be g iven to the p eo p le o f hell to d rink.

"For them are cut garments of fire, boiling water shall be poured over their head.With it shall be melted wha t is in their be llies and (their) skins as we ll". (Surah-al-Haj:19,20)"Their shirts made of pitc h (Qatran) a nd fire co vering their fac es ". (Sura h-a l-Ib rahee m: 50) `Qa tran' is a b lac k and stinking substa nc e. Som e interpret it to be ta r,but the rea lity is that nothing o f the hereafter ca n b e c om pa red to the things of thiswo rld . It is relate d tha t if a d ress of the pe op le o f hell is hung b etw ee n the ea rth a ndthe sky, then all the p eo p le on the e a rth will sc ourch a nd d ie d ue to it's hea t a nd evilodour.

Clothes of the Peo ple of Hell.

“ The g uilty shall be rec og nized by their ma rks, so they shall be seized by the foreloc ks and the feet” . (Sura h-ar Ra hman: 41) It m ea ns tha t som e o f the evil doe rswill be seized by the ha ir of their fore he a ds a nd flung into hell, while som e w ill pulledby their legs and thrown into the fire. When the fire of hell will see them, it will roarwith rage and will proceed to devour them . “ Surely it send s up spa ks like pa lac es,as if they were towny camels”. (Surah- al-Mursalat: 32,33) “ Then thrust him into a c hain the length of which is seventy c ubits” . (Surah-al-Ha qqa h: 32 ) “When the fetters and the c hains shall be on their nec ks, they shall be d rag ge d” . (Surah-al-Mo 'min: 71)

“And on the day of resurrection you shall see- those who lied against Allah, their faces shall be blackned”. (Surah a z-Zum a r: 60) “ The fic es shall sc orch their fac es,and they therein shall be in severe a ffliction” . (Surah-al-Mo'm eno on: 104)

Hand Cuffs and Shac kles of the people of hell.

“ They shall have a be d o f hell- fire a nd from ab ove them c overings (of it), and thus do we reward the unjust”. (Surah-al-A' a ra f: 41) The p eop le of hell will be sifting onp lanks of fire, a nd will co ver themselves with it.

Bed s of the People of hell.

“Over it are Angels stem and strong, they do not disobey Allah in what He commands them”. (Surah-at-Tahreem: 6)

Keepe rs of he ll.

“And for them are whips of iron”. (Surah-al-Haj: 21) The kee pers of he ll will have withthe m c lubs of iron,with which the y will be striking the hea ds of evil- doe rs. Thed we llers of p a rad ise will ca ll out to the dwe llers of he ll and say, “ Whatever Allah ha s



prom ised for us, He ha s surely fulfilled , and we ha ve ta sted the rew ard of o ur goo ddeeds. Have you also seen whatever chatisement Allah had promised for the evil-d oe rs” ? They w ill rep ly in the a ffirma tive. Then a c a ller will ca ll out b y the c om ma ndof Allah: Allah's wra th b e on the op pressors. "So tod ay those w ho b elieve shall laugh at the unbelievers". (Sura h-al-Muta ffefeen: 34), as they used to la ugh a nd ma ke funof (in the wo rld ) those who b elieve . Sha ita an will b e the c om p anion o f the d we llersof he ll, while the dwe llers of p a ra d ise will mee t o ne a nothe r and rejoice . The

d we llers of he ll will bea r a nimosity a nd ha te one a nothe r. “ And whoe ver turns himself aw ay from the rem em branc e of the Beneficent Allah, We app oint for him a shaitaa n,so he becomes his associate. And most surely they turn them away from the path,and they think that they are guided upright, until when he comes to Us, he says: O would that between me and you there were the distance of the east and the west,so evil is the associate”. (Surah-az Zukhruf: 36-38). It is related tha t b oth o f the m (theevil - doer and his comrade shaitaan will be bound together in a single chain andthrown into the fire. “When those who were followed shall renounce those who followe d (them), and they see the c hastisem ent and their ties are c ut asunder. And those who followed shall say: Had there been for us a return, then we would renounce them as they renounced us”. (Surah-al -Baqarah: 166,167)Reg ard ing the a nimosity betw ee n the p eo p le of the hell, it is sa id in the Qur'an: Thenon the d a y of Qa yam a t som e o f you sha ll d eny o thers, and som e o f you sha ll curseothers” . (Surah-a l-Ankab oo t : 25) "The friends shall on that d ay b e enem ies of one another, except those who guard (against evil)". (Sura h-a z-Zukhruf: 67)It is related that the friendship which has been established against the will of Allah inthis world, shall turn into enmity in the hereafter. When the evil- doers will getexhausted by the p unishme nt a nd loo se a ll hop e, they will c a ll out to the keepers ofhell, as said in the Qur'an, "And they shall call out: O Malik (name of the keeper of hell)! let your Lord m ak e a n end of us. He shall reply: Surely yo u shall tarry, c ertainly We have brought you the truth, but most of you are averse to the truth". (Surah-a z-Zukhruf:

"It has seven gates, for each of those is a (special) class (of sinners assigned)". (Sura h-a l-Hijr: 44)

Gates of Hell.

It is related in "Anware No'maniyah" and `Biharul Anwaar' that when Hazrat Jibra'eeld esc end ed with the a bove ve rse o f the Q ur'an , the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.)requested him to explain to him about the qualities of hell, Jibra'eel replied, "OProp het o f Allah (S.A.W.S.)! verily the re a re seven ga tes in hell. The d ista nc ebe twe en ea c h of these g a tes is eq ual to the length of seventy yea rs, and ea c h oneof the m is hott er than the othe r. The na me s of the ga tes a re :

(1) Hawiyah (Lit. meaning a pit) - And this gate is for the hypocrites (munafeqeen)a nd d isbelieve rs (kuffar),

(2) Jaheem - It is for the p olytheists (those w ho a ssoc iate som eo ne or som ething withAllah),



(3) It is for the sabians (star worshippers),

(4) Lazza-It is for shaitaan and his followers and the magians (fire worshippers),

(5) Huta ma h (Lit. mea ning tha t w hich c rushes to p iec es) - It is for the jews,

(6) Sa 'ee r (Lit. me a ning a b lazing fire) - It is for the c hristians".

When Jibra 'eel ca me to d esc ribe the seve nth ga te he bec a me silent. The HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) to ld him to d esc ribe the seve nth g a te , to w hich Jibra'ee l rep lied ,"It is for the p roud p eo p le of your umm at, who d ied without rep enting for their sins".The Prop het (S.A.W.S.) lifted his hea d and was so m uc h grieved tha t he b ec a meunc onsc ious. When He reg a ined c onsc iousness. He sa id, "O Jibra'eel ve rily you ha vema de m y troub le t wo -fold. Will my p eo p le a lso go to hell"? Then He sta rtedweeping. After this incident He did not communicate with anyone for some days,a nd whe neve r He rec ited Nam a z, He w ep t b itterly. Bec a use o f His intense w ee p ing ,a ll His c om pa nions too we p t. They asked Him the rea son for His g rief, but He d id notrep ly. Ima m Ali (A.S.) wa s out on som e m ission, and so the c om panions we nt to the

presenc e o f the Lad y of Light Hazra t Fa tima (A.S.). They we nt to Her house a t thetime when She w as g rinding the m illstone. She wa s rec iting the follow ing ve rse o f theQur' an : "While the hereafter is better and more lasting". (Surah-a l-A'a la: 17). Thec om pa nions relate d to Her the sta te of Her Fa ther. When She hea rd it, she g ot upand wore her cloak (chader) which had twelve patches sewed with the leaves ofthe d a te - tree . Sa lma n -al- Fa rsi who w a s p resent a mo ng those p eo p le w ho w eremo ved a fter loo king a t the wo rn out c loa k of Ha zra t Sayyed a h a nd sa id , "Alas! Thedaughters of Qaiser (Caesars, the rulers of ancient Rome) and Kusras (rulers ofancient Persia) sit on golden thrones, but the daughter of the Prophet of Allah hasno p rop er clothe s to w ea r". When Hazra t Fa tem a (A. S.) rea c hed the p resenc e o fHer Father,

She sa w His ba d sta te a nd the sta te o f His c om panions and sta rted w ee p ing. Shethe n sa id, "O Fa ther! Sa lma n is astonished a fter loo king a t My wo rn-out c loak. Iswear by the Lord Who has chosen You as the Prophet, since the past five years wehave go t only one sheet of c loth in our house, during the da y on w hic h we feed thecamels, and during the night rest on it. And our children have got a mattress of askin with d ry leaves of the tree of da tes". The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) turned to wardsSa lma n a nd sa id, "Do you p a y hee d a nd ta ke lesson"?. Hazra t Za hra (A.S.) saw tha td ue to exce ssive w ee ping the fa c e o f the ho ly Prop het (S.A.W.S.) had turned pa le,

and His cheeks had sunk in, and as related by kashfi that the earth where He wassitting had turned we t w ith tea rs. She (A.S.) told Her Fa ther, "Ma y my life be Yourransom , why d o you wee p"? The Prop het (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "O Fa tema Why should Inot weep? For verily Jibra' eel has revealed to me a verse (Ayah) describing thequalities of hell, that it contains seven gates, which in turn have seventy thousandfissures of fire. And in each fissure there are seventy thousand coffins of fire, andea c h c offin conta ins seve nty thousand type s of p unishme nt." When Hazra t Fa tem a(A.S.) hea rd this She c ried out, "Verily the one who is fed to this fire is doomed ".Sa ying this She fa inted . When She rega ined c onsc iousness, She sa id, "O the b est o f



hea d s with iron c lubs, and they w ill ag a in fa ll into the bottom of the p it. They w illthe n b e g iven new skins so a s to rep ea t a nd p roling this punishment". Then Ima m(A.S.) asked Ab u Ba see r, Is this enoug h fo r you"? He rep lied , "Verily it is enoug h".

(2) A trad ition ha s bee n na rra ted from Imam Ja ' far -a s-Sad iq (A.S.) tha t the HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) sa id, "on the night of my a sc ension (Me' raj) when I rea c hed thefirst he aven I sa w a ll the Ange ls rejoicing, but o ne of them wa s quite d ifferent from

the others. His fa c e w a s fea rful and showe d signs of a nger. He sa luted me b ut unlikeothers did not smile at me. I asked Jibra' eel as to who he was. Jibra' eel replied,"Verily You should fea r him, for we a ll fea r him. This Angel is the keeper of he ll. Fromthe d ay Alla h appointed him a s the keeper of hell his a nge r a nd wrath increa ses forAllah's enemies. And when Allah shall order him to take revenge upon His enemies,he shall do so with harshness and severity. If he had ever met anyone joyously, hewo uld a lso ha ve smiled a t you". I saluted that Ange l and he a nswe red me a nd ga veme goo d new s of p a ra d ise. Then I told Jibra 'eel, "O Jib ra 'eel! tell him to let me havea glimp se o f hell". Jib ra 'eel req uested him a nd he lifted the ve il off and o pene d oneof the d oo rs of he ll. Sud d enly flame s of fire e rup ted from it w hic h rea c hed the skya nd c ove red it entirely, a nd sta rted roa ring a ra ging a nd c rea ting terror. I told Jibra'ee l to req uest him to p ut b a c k the veil. The keeper of hell orde red the flam es whic hhad rea c hed the sky to g o d own".

(3) Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys tha t, "Allah has not created any man but withtwo places, one in paradise and the evil -doers in hell, a caller will call out to thedw ellers of paradise and say , "Look towa rds hell". They shall do so, and they will beshown their place in hell which would have their's if they had sinned. When they seeit they will be so much excited, that had there been death in paradise, they wouldhave d ied of hap piness. Their happiness will have no bo unds for "praise be to Allah,and thank Allah that He has saved us from this punishment". In the same manner it

will be said to the dwellers of hell, "lift your heads up and see, this would have beenyour plac e (in pa ra d ise) if you ha d believe d ". They will bec om e so m uc h d ep ressed ,that had there b een de ath in hell, they wo uld have died of g rief. Then the p la c es ofthe people of hell (in paradise) will be given to the people of Paradise and viseversa . This is the interpreta tion of the verse o f the Qur' an , "These a re they who a re the heirs, who shall inherit the Paradise, they shall abide therein". (Surah-al-Mo'meneen: 10, 11)

(4) The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, tha t when the g ood-doers will be p ut intoPa ra d ise a nd evil-d oe rs into he ll, a c a ller will c a ll out, "O the peo p le o f Pa rad ise! And

O the peo p le o f hell! Will you rec og nize d ea th if we show it to you g iving it a form"?They will rep ly, "No we w ill not be a b le to rec og nize it". Then d ea th will be g iven theform o f a c a ttle a nd m a d e to sta nd b etw een Pa ra dise a nd he ll, and it will be sa id tothe m, "look, this is dea th". Then the c a ttle (d ea th) will be sac rifice d by the o rd ers ofAllah, and it will be said to the people of Paradise: "Now you shall always remain inPa ra d ise a nd dea th will not ha rm you"', a nd it will be sa id to the p eo p le o f hell: "Youtoo shall stay in hell forever and death will not relieve you". "And warn them of the da y of intense regret, when the ma tter shall have been d ec ided , and they are (now)



in negligenc e and they do not believe". (Sura h-al-Maryam : 39). Then the p eo p le ofhell will reg ret a nd loo se ho pe o f me rc y.

(5) Ima m Ali-al-Murta za (A.S.) says, that fo r the evil- doe rs the re ha s bee n c rea ted aborroug h b etw ee n the fire (o f hell). There will be c ha ins bound in their fee t, and theirha nd s will be t ied with the ir nec ks. Their shirts will be o f c opper, a nd d resses of fire.They will be c ha stised with intense hea t. The d oo rs of hell will be c losed for them (so

there is no escape), and will never be opened. Cool breeze will not enter therein,a nd they will not find imm unity from sorrow and grief. Their punishment will be o fd ifferent typ es and increase oc c a siona lly. Their sta te there w ill no c hange, nor theira ge inc rea se. They will p lea d with Alla h for de a th, but He w ill say , "You will ever rema in in this state and taste c hastisem ent".

(6) Ac c ording to trustworthy a utho rities, Ima m Ja 'afa r as-Sad iq (A.S.) sa ys, tha t in he llthe re is a we ll in which som e o f the peo p le will be imp risoned . This p lac e is for thearrogant and proud people, the stubborn evil-doers. It will also be reserved for theenem ies of Ahlulba it (A.S.). The lea st p unishment he re is tha t the p erson (ha ving theleast p unishment ) will be floa ting in the sea of fire, his shoes will be of fire and string sof the shoe s will also b e ma de of fire. And bec a use of intense he a t his b ra in will beboiling inside his skull. He will think that his punishment is quite severe, but in fact hispunishme nt will be the lea st whe n com p a red to the othe rs.

CHAPTER -XII-PARADISE (JANNAT')

The literal me a ning of Janna h' is a green garden, whe ther in the ea rth o r theheavens. According to the religious interpretation, it is a place which Allah hascreated for the believers (mo'meneen) and His virtuous slaves, in which they shalld we ll foreve r.

It is related from Imam Ja'far-as-Sadiq (A.S.) in "Sifatush Shi'ah" that He (A.S.) said,person who d oe s not b elieve in the follow ing four thing s is not from our Shi'a hs:

(1) Me 'ra j (asc ention) of Prop het Mo ha mmad (S.A.W.S).

(2) Que stioning in the g rave by Munkir and Nakeer,

(3,) Existenc e of Para d ise and hell and

(4) Our intercession (shafa'at)".

Verses (aya h) of the Qur'an a re a n op en p roo f of the existenc e o f Parad ise a nd hell."It is prep ared for those who g uard ag ainst evil". (Surah a l-Aa le Imra a n: 132)



"And the garden shall be brought near for those who guard (against evil)". (Surah-a sh-Shu'a ra: 90)

It is beyond the capacity of the people of this world to have a comprehension ofthe bliss of Paradise. Only a brief belief in it's existence is sufficient, and one shouldnot go into details as to where it is or how it is. It can be compared to a child in amo ther's wo mb who is not a wa re o f the outside w orld .

"So no soul knows what is hidden from them of that which will refresh the eyes,reward for what they did". (Surah-a s-Sa jda h: 17)

Regarding the blessings of Paradise, it is writing in the Qur'an : "They have therein wha t they wish and with Us is more yet". (Surah-al-Qa f: 35)

"And they sha ll ab ide in tha t, which the ir souls long for". (Sura h-al-Amb iya: 102)In short Paradise is a place free of emptiness and sorrow. Handicap, ailment, anda geing d oe s not exist the re. No p lac e fo r bored om a nd uneasiness. There isa bsolute p ea c e and c onte ntment. Henc e it is a lso refe rred to a s "Darus Sa laam"(theabod e of peac e) .

For the believers there will be a true kingdom on which they will have full control,and whatever they desire will take place, no one will disobey them."Verily the peop le of Paradise are true kings". "And when you see there, you shall see blessings and a g reat kingd om ". (Surah-ad -Dahr: 20)

Kingd om of Paradise.

It is also related that when the person having the lowest rank in Paradise looks at hiskingd om , it's d ista nc e w ill be equa l to a period of one thousa nd ye a rs, and eve n theAng els will not b e permitted to ente r it without his c onsent.

"The extensiveness (of Paradise) of which is as the extensiveness of the hea ven and the earth". (Sura h-al Ha dee d : 21)

Vastness of Paradise.

It is related that one day Jibra'eel decided to calculate the length of Paradise. Heflew for a distance equal to thirty thousand years and became weary, then hereq uested Alla h to give him streng th. Then a ga in he flew for thirty tho usa nd timesand each time equal to thirty thousand years and then lost vigour. He then askedAllah whether he flew more or more was left. One Hourie of Paradise came out ofher tent a nd sa id, "O Sp irit of Alla h! Why do you t roub le yourself, for you ha ve flow nso much that you have not even crossed my courtyard as yet". Jibra'eel asked hera s to w ho she w a s. She replied tha t she w a s a Hourie a nd had bee n c rea ted for abeliever (mo`min). (Ta fsee re Umd atul Bayaan)



Whate ver the d we llers of Pa ra d ise w ill wish, will be ma d e a va ilab le fo r them to ea t.

Food of Paradise.

"And a bund ant fruit, neither intercep ted nor forbidd en". (Surah-al-Waqe'ah: 32, 33)

"And fruit such as they choose, and the flesh of fowl such as they desire " (Surah-a l-

Waq e'a h: 2O, 21)

Ab u Sa 'ee d Khud ri relates from the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) tha t He sa id tha t inParadise birds with seventy thousand feathers will be flying in the air. Whenever abelieve r will desire to e a t som ething, a bird will fly dow n to his ea ting-ca rp et and willflap it's feathers, and from each of their feathers will fall a dish whiter than ice andmore delicious than honey, and more fragrant than musk, and no other food will belike it. Then the b ird will fly aw a y.

"In bo th are fruits and pa lms and po me grana tes". (Surah-ar-Ra hm an: 68)

"Amid thorneless lote-trees.( and banana trees (with fruits), one above another. And extended shade ". (Surah-al Waqe'ah: 28-30) "Gardens and vine-ya rds". (Surah-an-Nab a ': 32)

"Therein a re rivers of wa ter that doe s not a lter, and rivers of m ilk the taste whereof does not change, and rivers of drink delicious to those who drink, and rivers of

honey c larified ". (Sura h-a1-Moha mrna d :1 5)

Drinks of Paradise.

"They are m ad e to qua ff of a pure drink tha t is sea led (to o thers). The sealing of it is (with) musk, and for that let the aspirers aspire. And the admixture of it is a water of Tasneem . A fountain from which drink they who a re d raw n nea r (to Allah)".

(Surah-al-Muta ffefee n: 25-28)

"And they shall be made to drink therein a cup the admixture of which shall be ging er, (of) a fountain therein whic h is nam ed Salsabil". (Surah-ad-Dahr: 17, 18)

"Surely the righteous shall drink of a cup the admixture of which is camphor". (Surah-ad -Dahr: 5)

In Paradise there shall be flowing different types of streams, and the taste and savorof each shall be different from the other, and their names are kept according tothe ir qua lities. And in a ll these streams the founta in of Kausa r is exc lusive w hich flow sfrom beneath the heaven. It's earth is softer than ghee, and it's pebbles of topaz(zabro jad), rubies (yaqoot), flows in Paradise, and on the day of Qayamat will beknow as u'Ha uz'.

Dresses & Ornamets of the people in Paradise.



"Ornam ents shall be given to them therein of brac elets of go ld, and they shall wea r green robes of fine silk, thic k silk broc ad e interwoven w ith go ld" (Surah-a I-Ka hf: 31)

"They shall be ad orned therein with brac elets of go ld a nd (with) pea rls, and their ga rments therein shall be of silk". (Surah-a l-Haj: 23)

It ha s bee n rela ted tha t the Holy Prop het Mo ha mmad (S.A.W.S.) sa id, "When a

believer (mo'min) enters his palace in Paradise, a crown of magnificence will beplac ed on his head, and he will be given to wear seventy thousand different typ es ofdresses adorned with various gems and pearis. If one of these dresses is madeap pa rent to the peop le of this world, they will not be a ble to b ea r it's Imam Ja 'far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) says, that on every Friday Allah presents a dress of honour for a believerto an Ang el (to keep it for him). The b elieve r (in Paradise) wea rs one ove r his wa istand puts another on the shoulder, and wherever he goes it's vicinity gets illuminatedby it's light.

Allah says in the Qur'an : "And (Allah) will cause you to enter into gardens, beneath which rivers flow, and goodly dwellings in dardens of perpetuity, that is the mighty achievement". (Surah-a s- Sa f: 12)

Palaces of Paradise and their Adornment.

Regarding the interpretation of the "Goodly dwelling" it is related from the HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) that there is a pa lac e in p a rad ise m ade o f p ea rla , which ha sseventy houses of red rubies (Yaqoot). And in every house are seventy rooms ofgroo n emeralds (zama roo d ) . And in ea c h roo m the re a re seve nty throne s on w hic hare spread seventy carpets, and on each carpet will be seated Hourul Een' And in

each room there will be seventy eating carpets, on which there will be seventytypes of delicious dishes, and in each room there will be one servant (male andfemale) Allah will give strength to a believer so much that he will be able to derivepleasure from all houries and digest each types of dishes, this is agreat blessing ofthe heurier.

"They shall have high p lac es, abo ve them higher plac es, built (for them), be nea th whic h flow rivers". (Surah-a z Zum a r: 20)

It is rela ted from Ima m M oha mmad -al-Ba q ir (A.S.) that Imam Ali (A.S.) asked theHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S.) reg a rd ing the interpreta tion o f the "Highe r p la c es" a nd a skeda s to wha t these higher plac es a re mad e of ? He (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "O Ali! It's wa ilsare of pears, rubies, and topaz. It's ceiling is of gold lined with silver. Each "Higherplace" has a thousand doors, and on each door are thousand Angels. In it aresprea d c a rpets of soft and c olourful silk filled with musk, c a mphor, and a mb er".

Roo ms of Paradise and their Bea utification.



"Rec lining therein on raised c ouc hes, exc ellent the rec om pe nse".

(Surah-al-kahf: 31)

"Therein are thrones raised high, and drinking c ups read y p lac ed , and c ushions set in a row, and c arpets spread o ut".

(Surah-al-Ghashiyah: 13-16)

"On thrones dec orated". (Sura h-al-Wa qe'a h: 15)

The throne s me ntione d herein w ill be three hundred hand s high. Whenever abeliever will desire to ascend it, it will bend down and they will sit on it leaning onc ushions. Rec lining o n b ed s, the inner c overing of w hich a re silk broc a de" (Surah Ar-Rahm a n: 54) The rea lity o f these b lessings a re best kno wn to Allah. For ve rily themagnificence of Istabraq Reclining on beds, the inner covering of which are of silkbroc ad e (Ista b raq ) Sura h-ar Rahma n: 54', Ra fra f' 0Rec lining on gree n c ushions (Rafraf) Surah-ar-Ra hm an: 76, 'Numa riq' And c ushions (Numariq) set in a row - Surah-al-Ghashiyah: 16' can be perceived only by looking at them and cannot beexplained.

"And there shall be made to go round about them vessels of silver and goblets which are of glass, (trasparent as) glass, made of silver, they have measured them ac c ording to a m easure". (Surah-ad -Dahr: 15, 16)

Cups of Paradise.

“ Round ab out them shall go youths never a ltering in age, with goblets & ewers and a c up of pure drink". (Surah-al Wa qe'ah: 17, 18)

For deriving physical pleasures in Paradise, Allah has created the 'Hourul Een' for thebelieve rs. They ha ve bee n g iven this name bec ause 'Hoo r'mea ns 'bright c olour and'Een m ea ns 'expa nse a nd da rk-eye d , for the d a rkness of their eye s will be q uite d a rk,a nd the ir skin p ure w hite.

Houries and Wom en of Paradise.

"And pure, beautiful ones, the like of hidden pearls".(Surah-al-Waqe'ah: 22, 23)

"In them shall be those who restrained their eyes, before them neither man nor jinni shall have touc hed them ". (Surah-ar-Rahm a n: 56)

"As thoug h they were rubies and c orals". (Surah-ar Rahm a n: 58)



"And with them shall be those who restrain their eyes, having beautiful eyes. As if they we re egg s c arefully p rotec ted".

(Sura h-a s-Sa ffa t: 48,49)

It is rela ted tha t a hourie' will be w ea ring seventy d resses, even the n the whiteness ofthe ir c a lfs will be visible. Their bod ies will b e g lowing like the gentle b rightness ofrub ies. Abdullah ibne Ma s'oo d sa ys, tha t he hea rd the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) as

saying , that a light w ill shine fo rth in pa rad ise and peo p le will wond er as to wha t it is.It will be said unto them that the light has emitted from the teeth of a hourie' who islaughing sea ted in front o f her husb and .

"Surely we have ma de them to g row into a (new ) growth, then We have m ad e them virgins, loving, eq uals in ag e".

(Surah- al-Waq e'ah: 35-37)

All of these houries' will be aged sixteen years, while the age of the believers (inPa ra d ise) w ill be thirty three yea rs. The ha ir of the houries' will be c urled , their bod iesbright a nd c lea n of unwa nted hair.

"And they shall have Pure m ates in them, a nd in them they shall ab ide (forever)" (Surah -al-Baqa ra h: 25)

These ho uries' will be free from p rid e a nd a rrog anc e a nd will not envy ea c h othe r.It is related that on the right side of the hourie' it will be written:"praise be to Allahwho has fulfilled what He promised", and on the left side : "Praise be to Allah whoha s relieve d us of grief.

In a lengthy trad ition the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, that w hen Alla h c rea ted the

hourie', on her right hand was written "Mohammadun Rasoolullah", and on her lefthand "Aliyyun Waliyullah". On her forehead was written "Al Hasan" and on her chin"Al Husa in", and on both of her lips "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent, Merciful". Ibne M as'oo d a sked , O' Prop he t ! who w ill ha ve this b lessing"? The Holy Prop het(S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "The one who rec ites "In the name of Allah, the Beneficent,Merciful" with d ue respec t". Those Wome n w ho d ie in fa ith, their bea uty in pa ra d isewill be more than that of the houries' "In them are goodly things, beautiful ones". (Surah-ar- Ra hm a n: 70)

The w om en referred to he re a re the fa ithful one s who w ill enter pa rad ise. Inrefe renc e to the a bove ve rse, Alla mah Ma jlisi quotes Imam Ja 'far-as-sad iq (A.S.) a ssaying, that the "goodly things" referred to in the verse are those women who arebelievers, the Shi'ahs, and the Wise ones. They will ente r pa ra d ise a nd will be g iven inwe d -loc k to the b elieving m en.

It is related that those women who did not marry in this world, or those womenwhose husba nds had not e ntered p arad ise, will be g iven the freed om to c hoose thebeliever whom she desires, and they shall be married to them. But if a women'shusband is present in paradise, she will be permitted to marry him with her consent.



If in the wo rld she m arried mo re tha n onc e, the m an who ha s the g rea test sta tus (inpa ra dise) a nd ha s c om mitted m ore g oo d de ed s will be c hosen for her.

In Surah-ar-Ra hm an Allah refe rs to tha t p erson who fea rs sta nd ing in front o f his Lordfor accounting (for his deeds), and thus refrains from sinning. "And for him who fears

to stand before his lord are two gardens". Allamah Majlisi narrates from the HolyProphet (S.A.W.S.) that He said "If one of the hoories' of paradise descends on thefirst heaven on a dark night and looks down towards the earth, the entire universewill be filled with her frag ranc e". It is related from Imam Ja'far-as-sadiq (A.S.) that thefrag ranc e of the perfume pa radise will rea c h up to the distanc e eq ual to a thousandyears. The sand of p aradise is of m usk. It is related in many trad itions that thewa1walls, doors, and the floor of paradise is covered with grass of it's fragrance willbe such that an old man proceeding towards paradise will reach such a placewhich is far from pa rad ise a t a distanc e o f a thousand yea rs, yet he w ill turn youngby just the fragranc e.

Perfumes of Parad ise.

"They shall find the rein neither (the severe he at of ) the sun nor intense c old".

Lamps of Parad ise.

(Surah-ad-Dahr: 13)

In paradise there will not be heat of the sun nor the coldness of the winter season,there the sea son w ill be m od erate . The p eo p le o f pa rad ise w ill be in no need of thesun or the moon, for in paradise people's good deeds and faith (Eeman) will beglowing. It is related that the light of the houries' will be more than the light of thesun, they will be like walking lanterns. Palaces of paradise adorned with pearls,

corals, rubies, topaz and emeralds will emit a colourful light and make a pleasantenvironment. The floor, vessels, and d resses will be sc a ttering light , and the seglowing lanterns will turn paradise into an illuminated place. Abdullah ibne Abbasrelates that one day the dwellers of paradise will see a light shining more that usual.They will wo nd er and sa y " O , Lord ! you had prom ised that in pa radise there will notbe sun light and intense cold, what has happened today ? Has the sun risen"? Avoice will c om e, "This is not sunlight, b ut the Co mmand er of the Fa ithful Ali (A.S.) andthe Lad y of light Ha zra t Za hra (A.S.) are ha ving a g ra c eful talk and a re laug hing ,and this light has emerged from their teeth which has overpowered the light ofparadise".

The d ifferent typ es of p lea sures of this wo rld a re nothing whe n c om pa red to the b lissa nd p leasures of the herea fter. There it w ill be in it's true a nd p ure form. Songs insweet and pleasant voice will be heard in paradise. If the voice of these songs arehea rd b y the p eo p le o f this wo rld , they wo uld p erish. Prop het Da wo od (A.S.) ha dbeen blessed with a pleasant voice in the world. It's effect was such that when He

Songs of Paradise.



sa t to rec ite the Za boo r', a nima ls and bea sts ga thered a round Him and ente red intoa t ranc e. When p eo p le hea rd it, they fell unc onsc ious while som e even d ied .

Imam Ali (A.S.) in one of His sermons in Nahjul Balagha' says while describing thestate of Prophets in paradise that: In paradise Prophet Dawood will entertain it'sinha bita nts with His p lea sant vo ice , and will be a rec itor of p a rad ise.

It is clear that Prophet Dawood will entertain the dwellers of paradise with goodsongs, and the prophet therein will have the strength to bear it. In "Majma'ulBa yaa n" it is rela ted from the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) tha t the best song fromamongst the songs of Paradise will be the one which the houries' will sing for theirhusb and s (the believers), it will be suc h tha t no man or jinni will ever have he ard it.

But these songs will be free of music. It is also related that the birds of Paradise willsing songs. Imam Ja'fa r-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) wa s onc e asked a s to whether there w ouldbe music and melody in Paradise, to which He replied , "In Paradise there is a tree,by the com ma nd of Allah when the breeze will shake it a sound will ema nate from it,suc h that no m an ha s eve r hea rd suc h a p leasant and m elod ous tune. This blessingswill be for the one who in the world kep t awa y from (vain) music a nd songs be c auseof fear of Allah".

There will be va rious typ es of b lessing in Parad ise w hich our intellec t c anno tperceive. Allah says in the Qur'an , "And if you would count Allah's favours, you will not be a ble to numbe r them ". (Surah-an-Nahl: 18)

Blessings and Pleasures of Paradise.

In 'Tafsee re Sa afi' it is written reg a rd ing the interpreta tion o f the follow ing verse of

the Qu'ran: "Then shall som e of them a dvanc e to others, questioning ea c h other". (Surah-as-Sa ff'a t: 50).) tha t the d wellers of Pa ra d ise w ill d isc uss with one ano the rregarding the Wisdom and Knowledge of Allah. Also the people of Paradise whoseparents, children, and friends who died believing and have the capacity to enterPa ra d ise w ill interce de fo r them , their intec ession w ill be a c c ep ted bec a use o f theirgreat ho nour and respe c t.

"The g ardens of pe rpetual ab od e which they w ill enter along with those who do good from among their parents and their spouses and their offsprings". (Surah-ar-Ra'ad:23)

So when the believer enters Pa ra d ise, a tho usa nd Ang els will be sent b y Allah to visita nd c ong ra tula te them e. Ea c h Ange l will enter the p alac e ha ving a thousa ndd oo rs and offer sa luta tions to the believe r a nd wish him. "And the Angels will enter in upon them from every gate, Peace be on you". (Surah-ar-Ra'ad: 23, 24)The g rea te st b lessing in Pa ra d ise fo r a b elieve r will be tha t Allah Himself willc om munica te w ith them . There a re m a ny narra tions reg ad ing this, b ut I q uote onlyone verse o f the Q ur' an : "Pea c e! A word from a Merc iful Lord". (Surah-a l-Ya seen: 58)



In `Tafsee re Minha j' Jab ir b in Ab dulla h Ansari rela tes from the Holy Prop hetMuha mma d (S.A.W.S.) that He sa id, tha t when the d we llers of Parad ise w ill be busyin the p leasures of Pa ra d ise, a light w ill shine forth and a voic e w ill b e he a red : Pea c ebe on you, O' dwellers of Paradise. Here it can be stated that as the Prophets (in thisworld) had the honour of communicating with Allah, the believers will get thishonour in Parad ise.

Ap art from this, ne ighbourhoo d of the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) and his Progeny (A.S.)is no less a blessing.

The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) sa id , "O Ali! Your Shi'ahs will be seated on illuminatedpulpits in Paradise. Their fac es will be glowing like a full moo n, and they will reside inour neighbourhood"

In Paradise there will be eternity and perpetuity (as discussed earlier) which will initself be a b lessing. In Pa ra d ise b elievers will be sea ted on thrones fac ing ea c h otherlike b rothers.

"On thrones fac ing ea c h other". (Surah-a s-Saffa t: 44)

They w ill be guest o f ea c h o ther a s sta ted in trad itions. It is a lso rela ted tha t d a ily inPa ra d ise, one Ulul Azm Prop het (The five g rea t Prop hets) will c ome to visit thebelieve r and will be a host to eve ryone. On Thursd a ys the Holy Prop het Mo hamm a d(S.A.W.S.) will be the host, a nd on Frida ys Allah the Almighty Himself will invite a ll forfood. (Ma'ad )

CHAPTER -XIIIINCIDENTS OF GOD FEARING PERSONS

Incident-1Sha ikh Kulaini na rra tes on the a utho rity of Ima m A li za inul Aa bed ee n (A.S.) tha t aperson along with his wife and children was travelling in a boat when suddenly itsank. Everyone e lse w as d row ned exce p t the ma n's wife, who fe ll on a log and wa spushed away by the waves to the shores of a barren island. On that island therelived an evil thief who had left no sin uncommitted. When he saw that woman hea sked her whether she w a s a hum an or a Jen ii. She rep lied tha t she w a s very muc ha hum an, and that her boa t had wrecked . The m an d id no t say a nything b utproc eed ed tow ards, and e mb ra c ed her with the intention of co hab iting. He fell thewoman to be trembling and in a troubled mood. He asked her the reason for herfright. She pointed to wa rd s the sky and say, "I fea r Allah". The evil ma n sa id, "Haveyou e ver do ne this a c t"? She rep lied , "By Alla h! I ha ve neve r c om mitted ad ultery".

The evil ma n said, "When you ha ve neve r c om mitted a n inde c ent a c t, why do youfea r ? Sec ond ly it is I who a m fo rc ing you for ad ultery witho ut your c onsent. Then too



you fear Allah. In fact it is I who should fear Him more, for all through my life I havesinned". Sa ying this the e vil ma n step ped b ac k and returned hom e w ithout utteringa word. He thought about the sins he had committed all through his life and felta sham ed , he left his hom e on w a y to rep enta nc e. On the wa y he met a hermit andthey b oth b ec ame friends. The hermit told the m an, "It has bec om e to o ho t, p lea sepray to Alla h to send a c loud to shelter us from the hea t o f the b la zing sun". The ma nrep lied , "All throug h my life I have never c om mitted a go od ac t, a nd he nc e I d o not

ha ve the c ourag e to a sk from t he A lmighty". The hermit rep lied , "If this is so, I sha llpray a nd you sa y Amee n". They d id so, and a c loud a pp ea red and ga ve shelter ontheir hea ds, until they rea c hed a plac e w here they ha d to p a rt b ec a use their wa yswe re d ifferent. They b oth b ad e fa rew ell to o ne a nothe r, the he rmit his wa y and thema n his wa y. To the a stonishment of the hermit, the c loud which w a s shelteringthem we nt a long with the ma n. Seeing this, the he rmit we nt to the ma n a nd said,"Verily you are better than me, for your wish was granted while mine was refused.Plea se te ll me as to w hic h goo d a c t you ha ve c om mitted who se e ffec t is suc h"? Thema n related the who le incident a b out the w om an to the hermit. The hermit hea rd itand said, "Your fear of Allah made you give up that particular sin and repentsincerely upon all past ones, hence Allah forgave all your sins. Now in future avoidsinning, and always remain stead fast on the right path and never go astray.

Incident-2Shaikh Sa do oq relates, tha t one d ay M a'a z bin Ja ba l c a me we ep ing to thepresenc e o f the Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) asked him therea son for wee p ing. Ma 'az rep lied, "O Prop het ! A youth is sta nd ing a t your doo r andwe ep ing a s a mo ther wee ps a t the d ea d bod y of her young son. His sta te is p itiab le,a nd he d esires to mee t yo u". The Prop het (S.A.W.S.) ca lled him in. The yout h c ame ina nd sa luted the Prophe t. The Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) answered his sa luta tion a nd askedhim the rea son for we ep ing so b itterly. The yo uth rep lied , "O Prop het of A lla h! Whyshould I not cry, for I have committed a grave sin. I fear that if Allah takes intoa c c ount tha t sin of mine, and no d oub t He sha ll do so, He sha ll throw me hea d-longinto the fire o f hell". The Prop het rep lied , "Have you c om mitted `shirk'(assoc iate danyone with Allah)"? He said, "I seek refuge in Allah from being a polytheist(mushrik)". The Prop het a sked , "Then ha ve you killed anyone witho ut a ny rea son"?He rep lied in the neg a tive. The Prop het then sa id, "Even if your sin is b igg er tha n themounta ins, Alla h sha ll forgive yo u". He rep lied , "Verily my sin is b igg er tha n tha t". TheProp het sa id, "Then if your sin is b igg er tha n the seven worlds, the seas, the tree s a ndwhatever is in them, then too Allah is merciful, He shall forgive you. He replied thathis sin wa s even g rea ter than tha t. The hea vens, the Throne (Arsh). and the Cha ir

(Kursi), the n too the Beneficent Allah w ill forgive you". The ma n still persiste d . Thenthe Prop het turned tow a rd s him in a nge r and sa id , "O young ma n! Is your sin bigg ertha n the Almighty". The youth rep lied , "Verily my Lord is free from a ll shortc om ings,nothing is grea te r or b igg er tha n Him, and He is above a ll things". The Holy Prop het(S.A.W.S.) then sa id, "Who e lse beside s the Almighty ha s got the p ow er to forgive b igsins. The young man rep lied , "Truly O Ma ste r, no one exce p t Him ha s the power". TheProphet said. "Now then young man, tell me as to what sin have you committed forwhose fo rg iveness you ha ve lost a ll hop e o f me rc y". `The yo ung ma n rep lied , "OAp ostle of A llah! Sinc e the past seven yea rs I have been d igg ing the g raves of



peo p le a nd rob b ing their shroud s. One d ay a yo ung g irl from among the Ansars (theHelpers, the p eo ple of Med ina w ho ha d g iven refuge t o the Prop het) died a nd w a sburied. As usual I went to the graveyard with the intention of robbing the shroud. 1saw a newly formed grave and dug it, then I removed the shroud from her deadbody, and leaving her naked started going away. When suddenly I looked at her,shaitaan tempted me and the girl seemed beautiful in my eyes. By now shaitaanand over powered me and I turned towards the girl and had intercourse with her.

Then I left he r in that sta te a nd sta rted lea ving , when I hea rd a voice from behindme sa ying: "O young ma n! May Allah c urse you! On the d ay o f Qa yam a t whe n ourcase will be brought before Almighty Allah, and it will become apparent that yourem oved me from my g rave , rob be d me of m y shroud , left m e in a sta te o f po llutiona mo ng the d ea d , and I will rise in this imp ure sta te o n tha t d a y. Ma y your youth b urnin the fire he ll". The youth c ontinued , "Afte r ha ving c om mitting this sin, I am sure tha t Iwill not be a b le to even smell the fragra nc e o f Parad ise". The Prophet rep lied , "Ofornicator! Go away from me, I fear lest the fire of hell would burn me along withyou, for you have go ne q uite ne ar to it".

(It should be noted here that this attitude of the Holy Prophet towards the youngma n wa s so a s to p ut fea r (of Alla h a nd the he rea fter) in his hea rt, so tha t he m y feela shame d and rep ent sincerely for this ind ec ent a c t, as will be see n late r).

When the young ma n he ard these wo rds from the mo uth o f the Prop het (S.A.W.S.),he left His p resenc e. He w ent to the m arket p lac e a nd bo ught foo d for som e,da ysand went to one of the mountains of Madina to repent. He wore a dress of sack-c loth a nd sta rted wo rshipp ing Almighty. He p ut his hands behind his nec k and sa id ,"O Lord ! This slave Bahloo l of Your's is sta nd ing in front of You w ith his ha nd s tied . OAllah! You know me well and also my sin. Verily I regret over it and even went toYour Prophet to confess my guilt. He turned me away from Him thereby increasing

my fea r (of Your wrath). I now a sk You in the na me o f Thy Ma gnific enc e, Thy Glory,a nd Thy Best Name s, do not forsa ke me a nd lea ve me in d espa ir.O Alla h! Do notrejec t m y Prayers, and d o not turn aw a y Your b lessings from me".

Forty days passed in this state of repentance. He wept such bitterly that even theanimals and beasts lamented over his pitiable condition. When forty days passeda wa y, he lifted his hand s tow ards the sky and sa id , "O m y Lord! Have you he a rd mywords? And if You have forgiven me, reveal to Your Prophet to give me the gladtidings. And O Lord! If You have still not forgiven me, send Your wrath on me, a firewhich would burn me in this very world. But save me from Your chastisement on the

day of Qayamat"`. Almighty Allah forgave him and accepted his (sincere)rep enta nc e. It wa s revea led to the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.): And tho se w ho w henthey commit an indecency or do injustice to their souls, remember Allah andforgivene ss for their faults, and who forgives the faults but Alla h, and (who ) d o notknowingly persist in wha t the y have d one .

(As for) these, their reward is forgiveness from their Lord, and gardens beneathwhich rivers flow, to abide in them, and excellent is the reward of the labourers.(Sura h-al-Aale Imraa n: 134, 135) When this verse w a s revea led , the Prop het c a me



out reciting it and incurred about Bahlool. Ma'az replied, "O Prophet of Allah! Weha ve heard tha t he is a t so a nd so mounta in rep ent ing". The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.)accompanied by some of His close companions left for the place. He saw Bahloolstanding between two stones with his hands tied on his neck. His face had turneddark because of the heat of the blazing sun, and his eyelashes had fallen becauseof intense weeping. He was saying "O Lord You have created us humans the bestc rea tures (Ashra ful Ma khloo qa t), a nd given m e a go od d isposition and fac e. I wish I

knew what would happen to me (in Qayamat). When You will forgive me andpermit me to e nter Your pa rad ise, or forsake me and throw me into the b la zing fire.O Alla h! Surely You ha ve fa voured me, and Your rights a re m ore tha n me. My sin isg rea te r than the ea rth, the hea vens, the Throne (Arsh), and the Cha ir (kursee ). I wishI knew w hethe r you will forgive me or disgrac e m e o n the d ay of Qa yam a t". Theyoung m an wa s uttering the se w ord s and we ep ing a nd throw ing d ust on his hea d .Animals and beasts had surrounded him, and the birds had formed a circle aroundhis hea d , and were w ee p ing a t his pa the tic sta te . The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) wenttowards him and untied his hands. He cleaned the dust from his hair and said,"Bahlool! I give you glad news that Allah has forgiven you and promises to save youfrom the fire of he ll". Then He (S.A.W.S.) turned to wards His c ompa nions a nd sa id. "Omy c ompa nions! You to o see k forgiveness from Allah just like Ba hloo l". Then Herecited the above verse and gave the good news to Bahlool. Allamah Majlisi in his`Aynul Hayaat' after quoting this narration, says that repentance has come termsand conditions which need to be fulfilled.

The first c ond ition for asking rep enta nc e is tha t a ma n should pond er upo n theHighness and Glory of Allah, and about the disobedience which he committed.Then he should think a bout the seve rity of his sin. He should know about thepunishment which Allah has promised for him in this world as well as the hereafter(which have been related in the Qur'an and traditions). Verily this will make himregret his sins, and he will rectify the loss done. Repentance has the followingeffec ts: (1) The b ond whic h existed betw ee n the slave a nd his Ma ster which ha dbroken o ff be c a use o f sinning , ma y a ga in b ec om e firm, (2) The p erson (w ho isrep enting) w ill pled ge never to repea t the sin which he c om mitted, a nd (3) He w illstrive to rec tify the loss d one.

Cond itions for Rep enta nc e(Taw ba h).

The first type o f sine w hich nee d rep enta nc e a re tho se w hic h a re rela ted to theperson committing it only, and no other person having being effected by it. It'spunishment is reserved for the hereafter. For example, a man using gold, or wearinga silken d ress. The repenta nc e o f this sin is tha t the p erson should rep ent sincerelya nd p rom ise never to c om mit it a ga in. This will bec om e the rea son fo r wa rd ing offAllah's wrath in Qa yam at. The sec ond type o f sins a re those w hic h a re related toanother person other than the one committing it. Again these are of two types (1)Huququllah (Rights of Allah), and (2) Huququn Naas (Rights of men). If a man has

Sins which need rep entanc e:



usurped the p rop erty of som eo ne, or ha s c om mitted suc h a sin who se a tone me nt isthe freeing of a slave, and in spite of being capable of rectifying it, does not do so,he w ill not b e fo rg iven. It is ob liga tory on him to p ay the a tone me nt. And if som eo nehas not recited the obligatory Prayers or neglected fast, it is compulsory on him toperform it's elapsed (Qaza) In the case of rights of men, if a person has usurpedsomeone's wealth, then he is compelled to return it to it's righful owner. Or someoneha s lea d som eo ne a stra y, then it is ob liga tory for him to g uide him to the right pa th.

Incident-3 It is related from Ibne Babawayh that one day the Holy Prophet Mohammad(S.A.W.S.) wa s sitting in the sha d e o f a tree d ue to intense he a t. Sud denly a ma nc a me a nd remo ved his c lothes and lied d ow n on the e arth. He rubb ed his stom ac ha nd forehea d on the g round a rid sa id to himself "O m y soul be wa re! Allah's wrath ismo re severe tha n this hea t" When the Holy Prop het loo ked tow a rd s him, he wore hisc lothes. The Prop het c a lled him a nd a sked ., O Slave of Allah! I ha ve never see na nyone d oing this befo re, tell me wha t ha s ma d e you d o it"? He rep lied , "O Prop het!Fear of Allah is the sole reason. I was burring myself with this heat so that my self(nafs) could understand that Allah's wrath (in hell) is more severe than this ordinaryhea t w hich I c a nno t b ea r". The Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) rep lied , "You ha ve bee nfearing Allah as is the right to fear Him. And Allah has been glorifying and praisingthis deed of your's in the ra nks of His Ang els". Then the Prophe t turned to wards Hiscompanions and said, "`Go to this man so that he may pray for you". When theywe nt to him, he lifted his hands and p rayed , "O Allah! Guide us and esc ort us to theRight Pa th, and ma ke p iety o ur p rovision fo r the journey (of the herea fter) and ma keus ente r Parad ise".

Incident-4 It is rela ted from Ima m Mo ha mma d-al-Ba q ir (A.S.) tha t in Ba ni Israel the re w as aprostitute who ha d sed uc ed a nd t em pted ma ny youth. There lived a virtuous persona mo ng them . One d a y som e youth p lotted , that if that virtuous ma n had a glimp seof that woman, he too would be tempted to commit sin. When they revealed theirintention to the w om an she sa id, "I swe a r tha t until I d o no t sed uc e th is man I will notgo hom e". During the night she w ent a nd knoc ked a t the do or of the virtuous ma n.She req uested him to give he r shelter for one night. When the ma n refused to permither in, she said that some men of Bani Israel were trying to commit indecency withher and she ha d c om e to ta ke his refug e, She a lso sa id tha t if he d id not o pen thedoor, those men would disgrace her. When the virtuous man heard this he openedthe door. As soon as the woman entered his house, she threw away her clothes.

When the virtuous man saw her beauty he was tempted and forwarded his handtow a rds her. Sudd enly fea r of Allah overc a me him a nd he held b a c k his hand .Instea d he p ut it in a p ot w hich wa s boiling o n the stove nea rby. The w om an wa ssurprised a nd asked him a s to w ha t was he d oing. To w hic h he rep lied tha t he w aspunishing himself by burning his ha nd for the sin. The wo man wa s sc a red and ranout and told the people that the virtuous man was burning his hand. When thepe op le c a me in they sa w tha t his entire ha nd ha d burnt.



Incident-5: Imam Ja 'far-a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) narra tes, tha t o ne d ay a fte r finishing the m orningPraye rs, the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) sud denly looked a t Haresa b in Ma lik whosehead was falling down (he was dozing because of remaining awake at night) andhis fac e ha d turned pa le. His bod y had bec om e thin and his eyes had go ne in. TheHoly Prop het (S.A.W.S.) asked him, "How d id you a rise this morning? And wha t is yoursta te "? Haresa rep lied , "O Prop het o f Alla h I a rose w ith b elief. The Prop he t sa id, Every

argument has a proof, what is the proof of your belief? He replied, O prophet ! thatvery thing is my proof which keeps me unhappy and shameful, which keeps mea wa ke a ll night and fast throug hout the d a y, a nd ma kes me hate the things of thisworld. And my belief in Allah has reached a state. that I see before my eyes theplac e of a c c ounting on the d ay of Qa yama t. All the pe op le a re in front of me , andI see the dwellers of paradise sitting on their pleasantly with one another. On theother hand. I also see the dwellers of hell being engulfed by Allah"s wrath andwa iling. As if the te rrible sound of the b lazing fire is ec hoing in m y ea rs". The HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) turned towards His c om panions and sa id, "Loo k as to how Alla hha s enlighte ned his soul with the light of fa ith". Then He turned towa rd s Haresa andsa id, "O Haresa ! Alwa ys rem ain like tha t". Ha resa rep lied , "O Prop het ! p ra y to Allahto p resent me w ith Ma rtyrdo m". The Prop het fulfilled his req uest a nd p rayed for him.Afte r som e d a ys the Prop het sent him a long with Ja'fa re Ta yyar (the b rother of Ali)for Jeha d , where he atta ined ma rtyrd om along w ith nine other peo ple.

Ibne Ba ba wa yh rela tes from Umru' bin zub a yr tha t one d ay the Prop het (S.A.W.S.)wa s sitting with His c om pa nions. We sta rted d isc ussing a bout the wo rship a nd virtuesof the Martyrs of Bad r and Ahlulba it (A.S). Sud d enly Ab u Darda sa id., "O p eo p le ! Iwould like to introduce to you a person whose wealth is the least amongst all the

companions, but his worship and piety is more than anyone else". People asked hima s to w ho tha t p erson w a s? He to ok the na me of Ali (A.S.) a nd peo p le turned theirfac es aw a y from him. One m a n from a mo ng the Ansa r go t up a nd to ld him, "O Ab uDard a ! Tod ay you ha ve m a d e suc h a c laim w hen nob od y supp orts you" Ab uDarda rep1ied, "I have told you whatever I have seen with my eyes, while you sayonly that whic h you he a r from othe rs. Listen wha t I have to sa y and then judg e. Oned ay I met Ima m Ali (A.S.) in Na khlista n o f Bani Najjar. I saw tha t Ali (A.S.) wa s hidingfrom the view of His companions and was standing behind a tree.He called out asad and sorrowful voice : O Allah ! How many grievous crimes I have committed.And instead of punishing me, You have acted with temperateness. And I have

committed many mistakes and errorse but You have not disgraced me norhumilia ted me , instea d You ha d mercy o n m e. O Allah ! If my age p a sses in in Yourd isob ed ienc e, a nd the sc rolls of my d ee ds get filled with sins, I sha ll not w ish for a nything else except Your Mercy and Beneficence". I hid myself in the nearby bushes tohear wha t He sa id, I sa w A li (A.S.) rec iting many units (Rak'a t) of Nam az, and a fterFinishing ea c h Nam az He b ec ame eng rossed in supp lic a tions, wee p ing a nd wa iling.The sup p lic a tion which He rec ited wa s: "O Allah ! When I think a bout Your Merc yand Beneficence, sins seem light in my eyes. But when I think about Your anger andwrath, these very sills become heavy for me. Mercy be on. me when I see these sins

Tradition of Abu Darda a nd Supp lica tion (Muna jat) o f Ali (A.S.).



of mine written down in the scrolls of my deeds, which You have noted down. Andmercy be on me when You will order Your Angels to imprison me. Verily I lamentup on this imp risonment. The p risoner whose ret ribution of sins will not e ven save hisgroup. And while group would not reach up to help him, and the people ofQayamat will pity his bad state. O that fire, which melts the liver and kidneys, andc rac ks the skulls". Then Ali (A.S.) sta rted wee p ing b itterly and his voice fa ded awa y. Ithoug ht to m yself that He must have d ozed off due to rema ining a wa ke. I d ec ide d

to wake Him for the morning Prayers. I shook him constantly but found no signs oflife. His bod y had turned solid like a d ry stick. I thoug ht tha t He ha d d ied d ue to g riefa nd sa id: "Surely we a re Alla h's and to Him we sha ll surely return". (Surah-al-Baqa ra h:156).I ran to the house o f Hazra t Fa tema (A.S.) to g ive Her the ne ws of the d ea th o fAli (A.S.) I na rrated to Her wha tever I ha d see n. She (A.S.) rep lied , "O Abu Darda ! Thisfrequently happens to Ali because of fear of Allah". I took some water with me andwent to that place where He was lying and sprinkled some on his face.He gainedconsciousness and looked at me weeping. He asked me as to why I was weeping,to which I na rra ted the whole inc ide nt. Then Ali (A.S.) sa id, "O Ab u Darda ! Do yo uassume that I will be able to enter paradise, when all the evil-doers know thatund oub ted ly they sha ll be c ha stised .

And whe n ha rsh a nd short - tem pered Ang les will have surround ed me from a ll sid esand take me to the Compelling (Jabbar) Lord At that moment all my friends willhave d eserted me a nd a ll peo p le w ill p ity me . You will see m y wretc hed sta te, whenI will be standing in front of my Lord as a culprit whose bad deeds will have beenma de a pp arent " Abu Da rda c ontinued , "By Alla h! I have seen no other co mp anionmore virtuo us and p ious tha n Ali (A.S.) I sta ted below the very words of Ali (A.S.) asHe supplicated before Almighty Allah, so that His followers may follow His practiseand in the darkness of the night recite this Du'a in the Mid-night prayers (NamazeSha b). Sha ikh Baha i a lso q uo tes this sup p lic a tion in his book Mifta hul Fa lah.

.

0TCHAPTER -XIV 0T 0TALLEGORIES FOR THE BENEFIT OF 0T

0TTHE BELIEVERS 0T

Allegory-1: Bilohar says, that once a man was passing through a forest, when a wild elephanta tta c ked him . The m a n wa s sc a red a nd sta rted running, while the elep ha nt a lso
























chased him. When the man saw that the elephant had neared him, he becamedishea rtened (and lost ho pe o f surviving). Sud d enly his eye s fell on a nearby we ll,wherein the b ranc hes of a nea rb y tree we re ha nging in it. He c aug ht hold of it andhung in the well. When he looked at the branches, he saw that two huge rats (onewhite a nd other blac k) we re c utting a t the stem s spe ed ily. When he looked tow ardsthe fee t, he saw fo ur serpe nts c om ing out o f their holes. While w hen he loo ked insidethe w ell, he sa w tha t a la rge p ython w a s rea d y to swa llow him, with it's mo uth wide

op en. Aga in whe n he looked on to p, he sa w a b ra nc h filled with honey. Thesweetness and saviour of the honey made him negligent about the danger of thepythons who c ould d evo ur him a ny mo me nt. The w ell (refe rred herein) in the wo rldwhich is full of miseries a nd misfortunes. The b ranc hes being the life of ma n a nd thetwo rats being the d ays a nd nights which red uc e a ma n's age. The fo ur serpents a rethe four elements by which a man is created, viz. wind, bill, phlegm, and blood.Man is unaware of these and does not know as to which of these four wouldbe c om e the c ause o f his d ea th. The hug e p ythone is d ea th which is alwa ysprepared to devout man, while the branch full of honey are the pleasures andluxuries of this wo rld (w hich man suc ks neg ligent ly). This is the best e xam ple of a manremaining engrossed in the fancies of this world and being careless of death andthe herea fter.

It is rela ted from Ima m Ali (A.S.) that onc e He wa s p assing throug h the m a rket ofBa sra and the saw som e p eo p le b usy in b uying and selling. He sta rted we ep ing andturned towards them and said, "O slaves of the word ! And to the kings of this worldYou a re spend ing your d a ys in false swe aring, inte rest- ea ting, and slee p ing a soundsleep at night. And these pleasures have made you forget the hereafter. when willyou gather provisions for the journey, and when will you start thinking about thehereafter"? (Here some couplets have been quoted which I do not include in mytranslation- translato r) The Holy Prop he t (S.A.W.S.) says: "Those people who ha vebecome forty years of age, are like crops whose time of harvesting has neared.Those who b ec om e fifty years of age hea r a vo ice c alling out : What go od de ed shave you sent forth before you, and what a re yo u leaving behind you? Those whoreac h sixty yea rs of age a re ordered to bec om e ready for acc ounting in Qaya ma t,and those who become seventy years of age hear a voice calling out: Countyourself among the death". It is related in traditions that a cock calls out daily: Oneg ligent o nes ! Ta ke the na me of your Lord a nd rem em ber Him.

(Here the a utho r quotes som e c oup lets of Sha ikh Jami I do no t sta te -translato r)

Allegory-2 This a lleg ory is reg ard ing tho se p eo p le who love this wo rld, but the rea fter a redeceived by it. Bilohar says, that there a town in which people had the habit ofgetting hold of a traveller (who would be totally knew there and unaware of theirc ond itions), and ma ke him the king. The king w ould b e und er the imp ression tha t hewo uld rule ove r them a ll over his life. After exac tly one yea r they wo uld strip him offhis belong ings, and c lothe s a nd ba nish him e mp ty handed from the to wn. The kingwould then roam alone hungry and thirsty and surrounded by miseries, lamenting;upon his misfortunes. One day a traveller entered the town, as usual the people



c a ught hold o f him a nd ma de him the king . The p erson d ue to his ac utene ss a ndtalent concluded that he was totally unaware of their conditions and habits, andwas a stranger. Hence he should not rely on them and attach himself to them. Hec a lled a wise m an from that tow n a nd c a me to know of the p eop le's intentions. Hea sked him a b out how wo uld the p eop le treat him. The m an said tha t afte r one yea rthey would banish him empty- handed and ruin him. Hence he counselled him,"Beware, and during this period (of your kingship) gather whatever provisions you

c a n, a nd keep it a t that plac e w here the y shall ba nish you. So tha t a fter they do a sin tente d , you d o no t have to reg ret, and c an live a c onte nted life". The kingfollowed the person's advise. After one year the people banished him (as was theirhabit), and sent him to that place. But because he had gathered provisions there,he wa s saved from ruina tion.

Allah sa ys in the Qur'an : "And whoever does go od , they prepare (go od ) for their own souls". (Surah-ar-Room: 44)

Imam Ja 'far-a s-Sad iq (A.S.) says, tha t the goo d dee ds of a person enters Pa rad iselong befo re h im, and p rep ares a house fo r him there. Imam Ali (A.S.) sa ys, "O son ofAdam! Master your rebellious self, and spend your wealth in a way which wouldbe nefit you e ven a fter your d ea th, when you w ill have no w ea lth left".

(Couplets)

The Holy Prophe t (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, "know tha t every man will ret urn tow a rds the deed swhich he performed ( when alive), and will repent upon those that he left behind

(unpe rformed )' it is written in Am ali' of Sha ikh Mufee d a nd Taree khe Ba ghd ad i', tha tImam Ali (A.S.) onc e saw Prophe t Khizr (A.S.) in a d ream a nd a sked for His a dvise.Khizr turned His palm towards Him on which was written: you were a corpse, andAllah g ave yo u life, and very soo n you w ill turn into a c orpse. Sta rt b uild ing a hom efor the eternal world, and do not get engrossed in (preparing) the house of thisworld".

Allegory-3 It is related that once there was an intelligent, wise and a kind king. He wasdedicated to the well-being of his subjects and always inquired about their affairs.His vizier was a lso c onc erned about the peo p le's welfare a nd a ssisted the king in thisd ee d . Both of them we re friend ly tow a rd s one a nothe r and shared their views. Thevizier remained busy in serving the scholars and virtuous men. He listened to theirwise wo rds and was rea d y to sac rific e his life for them . His hea rt w as a lwa ys inclinedtowards the abandonment of this world and it's vanishes. But for fear and of theking, he kept it in his heart and worshipped the idols to please the king, so that hewould not harm him.He remained worried about the king's deviation and error,inspite of his kindness and mercy. He was always on look to get an opportunity toguide the king towards the right. One night when everyone slept, the king told his



vizier, ".Come, we shall ride to the town and see in what state are my subjects living."The vizier rep lied tha t it was a goo d id ea . Both o f them mo unted a nd sta rted go ingaround the town. During their stroll they passed from near a garbage place andsaw a light c om ing o ut o f it. The king to ld the v izier, "We should fo llow this light a ndsee a s to w ha t's happening insid e". They c a me dow n from their mo unt and we nt tothat place. When they, peeped inside the crevice, they saw an ugly and indigentma n we a ring d irty c lothe s sitting insid e rec lining on the ga rbage. He w as bea ting a

drum and in front of him was kept a glass of wine. An ugly woman wearing soiledc lothe s wa s sta nd ing op posite him. When the ma n a sked for wine she served it, andwhen he played the drum she danced. When he drank wine, the woman praisedhim in a manner as people praise the kings. He too praised the woman and calledher 'Sa yyed a tun Nisa ' (Mistress of the wo men). They we re g lorifying ea c h o ther'sbea uty a nd spend ing a life o f p ea c e a nd ha pp iness. The king and his vizier stoo dthere for som e t ime and sa w w ha t the y d id . They w ere surp rised a t the se two whowe re ha pp y even thoug h living a de grad ed a nd d eb a se life. They returned ba c k,and the king asked, Did you see them how happy they are, inspite of being in sucha dirty condiction. Our happiness when compared to their's is nothing. And I thinktha t they a lwa ys rem ain like tha t . When the Vizier hea d these w ords from the mo uthof the king , he found the time appropriate to advise and said King , In the eyes oftho se who rec og nize the True King , th is wo rld and it's luxuries a re eq ua l to thisgarba ge p la c e . The p a lac es a nd c a stle whic h we b uilt be a ring ha rd ships, a reequal to the ugly faces of these two whom we just saw. And the comforts andpleasures of this perishable world ( in their eyes) are like these two's rejoicing at notrue ha p piness. The King a sked the Vizier as to whether he knew suc h p eo p le . TheVizier rep lied , yes, I do know them. The king asked as to who there w ere a nd wherethe y lived ? The Vizier rep lied , They a re those p eo p le w ho love the relig ion of Allah ,a nd a wa re o f the kingd om of the herea fter and it's b liss. They a lwa ys rem ain ea gerfor the fe licity of the herea fter. The king then asked him as to w ha t is the herea fter?He replied , It is a plac e o f plac e a nd c ontentm ent, where the re shall be no troublesand anxieties. It is such a wealth after which a person does not remain dependentof a nyone. Then he b riefed the king a bout the c hara c teristics of the herea fter. Theking heard his words and said, "Do you know the way and means to acquire thisfelic ity"? The Vizier rep lied , "Yes, it is for those who strive to seek this roa d (to relig iona nd the he rea fter)".

The king was imp ressed a nd desired to see k the he rea fter. He then to ld the Vizierwhy he never informed him a bout it previously nor rela ted it's c ha ra c teristics? TheVizier sa id tha t he wa s a fra id o f his kingship a nd d ignity. The king rep lied , "Whatever

characteristics (of the hereafter) you have related to me are not to be ignored. Butone should strive to seek them, so that we may be characterised by it'sc ha ra c teristics a nd suc c ee d ", The Vizier sa id, "O king ! If you p ermit m e, I will rela tethese c harac teristic s in d eta il to you, so that you m ay b ec om e fully a c qua inted withthem , a nd your b elief m a y be c om e firm". The king wa s happy and sa id, "In fac t Iorder you to d o so d ay a nd night, so tha t I ma y not b ec om e e ngrossed in a nythingelse and become negligent of it. One should not neglect this act, for it is awo nde rful a nd excellent, and we should not a void suc h a go od d uty". Therea fterthe Vizier daily advised the king and guided him to the right path.



Here we q uote a sermo n of Imam Ali (A.S.) a s a g ift for the b elievers: "O p eo p le !Beware of this deceitful world, for it has attracted the hearts towards evil by it'selega nc e a nd bea uty. It ha s sub dued your wishes by fa lse p romises. This world is likea woman has adorned herself only for marriage, and due to her beauty deceivesmen a nd a ttrac ts them tow a rds her. She ultima tely kills her husba nd s with her ow nha nd s. So the p resent p eo p le should ta ke lessons from tho se p eo p le in the p ast whoha d fallen p rey to it, and save them selves from it's c onc eit".

Imam Ja 'far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) sa ys, tha t o nc e the world c a me to Prop het Isa (A.S.) inthe form o f a blue-eyed wo ma n. He a sked her as to ho w ma ny husba nds she ha d?She rep lied tha t she had infinite husba nd s. He then asked her, "Did you d ivorce a ll ofthe m "? She rep lied , "No, ra ther I ruined them a nd killed them. Prop het Isa (A.S.) sa id,"Woe be to those men who shall marry you (who shall be tempted by yourallurements), and do not take heed from her earlier husbands (the followers of thewo rld who w ere ruined by it)". Ima m Sa d iq (A.S) then sa id, "Henc e Alla h ha s kep t it(the world) friends and virtuous servants away from her, and left it for His enemies.Allah was happy to see His Prophet tie a stone on his stomach. Prophet Moosa ategrass, so much that the greenery was seen through his stomach, for his flesh hadmelted and his skin became thin". In praise of Allah's friends (Awliya) and HisProp het s (Am biya) He (A.S.) says, "Prophet s c om pa red this world to a ga rba geplace where the corpses lay, eating of which is not lawful. Hence they never ate totheir full, but only ate to extend that they could survive. In the sight of the Prophets itis such a corpse, that a person passing from near it, covers his mouth and nose tosave him self from near it's bad odour. Hence they pursued that much that wouldma ke them rea c h the ir d estina tion a nd neve r sa tiated them selves. The Prop hetswere astonished at the people who who strived to gather this world and filled thestom ac hs. The Prop hets a re p lea sed with their sta te, a nd a re ha ppy to b e savedfrom the p rosperity of this world. O m y brothe rs ! By Allah ! This world ha s never bee na we ll-wisher of a nyone, in fac t it is mo re d irty a nd polluted tha n a c orpse. Theperson who does the job of colouring leather is not troubled by it's bad odourbec ause he is used to it. But a ma n passing b y will be o ffend ed b y it. The HolyProp het (S.A.W.S.) sa ys, O m en! Whe n you see the peo p le of this wo rld running a fterit,do not follow them , bec a use they q ua rrel with one a nothe r to see k it. They a rebarling dogs and are like the small ones. (here the author quotes some couplets ofHakeem Sa na i which I d o not quote - transla to r ). Ima m Ali (A.S.) sa ys tha t By Allah!In m y eye s,this wo rld is wo rse tha n the fleshless bone o f a p ig g iven in the ha nd s of alep er. Bone is c onside red to b e the m ost d eg ra d ed pa rt of a huma n bo d y, a nd tha ttoo of a pig, whic h is in the ha nds of a lep er, bo th b eing d irty and unclean than o ne

another.

Allegory-4 This is na rra tive o f a person who wa s being b lessed by Allah. But w hen the time oftrials and trib ula tions c ame , he b ec a me ungra teful and left the doo r of the Truegiver of blessings, and went to the door of others, the deed which was not worthy.This incident ha s bee n q uoted by Sha ikh Baha i in his boo k Ka shkol. We na rra tebelow this incident briefly. A worshipper was passing his days in a cave on one ofthe mountains of Lebanon, like the people of Kahf. He had estranged himself from



everyone except Allah, and he considered solitude to be the best treasure of hishonour. He fa sted during the d ay, and a t night he go t a loa f of bread , half of whic hhe a te a t the eve ning during 'Ifta a r', while the o ther half during 'Seha r'. And thismoderation had made his heart contented, He passed his days in such a state. Hewas never ready to leave the mountains and go to the town. It so happened thatone night he did not get the bread to eat, and so he became weak andexshauted . He rec ited the eve ning p ra yers with d iffic ulty for his mind wa s ea ge r for

food. Because of hunger he could neither pray nor sleep. When it dawned, theworshipper left the mountain and went to a nearby town whose inhabitants werefire w orshippers a nd sea rc hed for food . He knoc ked a t the d oo r of a fire-wo rshipperand he gave him tow breads. He thanked him and left for the mountain. At thehouse of the fire-worshipper there was a dog whose bones and veins were visibled ue to sta rva tion. The d og see me d q uite hung ry. When the d og sa w the w orshippergoing w ith the b rea d , it ran a fter him a nd c a ught hold of his shirt. The w orshipperwa s sc a red , and in ord er to save himself from the d og 's b ite, threw a b rea d a t it. Thed og at e the bread a nd a ga in ran afte r him. The w orshipp er wa s all the m ore sc a redand threw the second bread towards it. After eating the bread, the dog again ranafter him. It started barking and tore his clothes. When the worshipper saw this, heturned towards the dog and said, " I have never seen a more ungrateful creaturethan you. Your master gave me two breads only, which you wretched soulsna tc hed a wa y from me . Why do you now run after me te a ring m y clothe s". Thedog relied, ".O pious man ! I am not ungrateful nor shameless, it is you who are so.Since my childhood I ha ve b ee n living w ith this fire-worshipp er, a nd loo k a fter hisc a ttle. Som etimes he g ives me b rea d , while som etime s a handful of b one s.Som etimes he forge ts to fe ed me and I thing to e a t. And m a ny time s this ma nhimself does not have anything to eat I do not go to any other door, for I havegrown up here a nd have go t refuge . Whenever I a m fe d, I offer thanks, and when Ihave to remain hung ry, I bea r pa tiently (and d o no t g rumb le a t m y ma ster). This ismy habit. While when you did not get food for one night, the foundation of yourpa tience b roke. You left the d oo r of the `True Susta iner', a nd c a me beg ging to thedoor of His enemy. You left your Lord for the sake of a morsel of food. O wise man !Now you judge as to who is ungrateful and shameless, yourself or me"? When thewo rship per heard the se w ords. he de p lored himself and rep ente d .

(Here Sha ikh Baha i add resses himself a nd sa ys) O Ba ha i, ha ving the soul of a dog . Ifyou d o no t ha ve p atienc e (a nd trust in your Lord ) you a re w orse tha n that do g.

It is a pprop riate to q uote here the wo rd s of Sha ikh Sa 'ad i : Man is the best c rea ture

(Ashraful Makhluqaat), while the dog is a wretched soul. And all wise men opinethat a faithful dog is better than an ungrateful man. Because the dog never everforget s a mo rsel of food fed to it, even though it is hurt a hundred times. While e venif a man is fed throughout his life. then too he will be ready for combat for smallthings.

Imam Ja'fa r -as-Sad iq (A.S.) and His slave. It is related tha t Imam Ja'fa r -as-Sad iq(A.S.) had a slave . Wherever the Ima m we nt, he a c c om pa nied Him. And whenIma m (A.S.) went to the Mo sque, he wo uld loo k afte r His mule. One da y the slave



wa s sitting a t the d oor of the Mo sque c a tc hing hold o f the mule, whe n there c am esome travellers from Khurasan. One of them said, "O slave ! will you plead to yourma ste r Ima m Sa d iq (A.S.) to a c c ep t me a s His slave in your stead , and we sha llsurely pa y you for this". The slave rep lied , "Yes I sha ll p lea d for you a nd ta lk to myMa ster". He then w ent to the p resenc e o f Ima m Ja 'far-as-Sa d iq (A.S.) a nd sa id,

"O Master! May my life b e y our ransom . You a re well aw are o f my services to y ou. If

ever Allah gives me an opportunity of acquiring wealth, will you stop me from it"? Imam (A.S.) said, "I myself will give you that much wealth, but will not let you askfrom anyone else" . The slave then na rra ted the ta lk he ha d with the traveller fromKhurasan. Ima m (A.S.) hea rd it a nd sa id , "If you d o not like living with me, I give yo uliberty to go, and accept him in your stead". After hearing these words, the slaveturned his b ac k and sta rted go ing . Ima m Sa d iq (A.S.) ca lled him bac k and sa id, "Inexchange of your services, I would like to counsel you, which will benefit you. Whenthe d a y of Qa yam at c om es, the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.) will be c onne c ted to Alla hby His light. And Ali (A.S.) will be joined to gether with the Holy Prop het (S.A.W.S.),a nd we (the Aimm ah) will be a tta c hed to him (A.S.), and Our Shi'ahs in turn will bea tta c hed to Us. Wherever we go, Our Shi'ahs will be a longside Us". When the slaveheard this, he said , "O Master! I will never leave you and go, and will not exalt thisworld over the hereafter". The slave then returned to the Khurasa ni man and heasked him, "O slave! What has happened, for you went to the Imam in a goodmood, while you have returned with a sad face"? The slave narra ted the wholeincident and took him to the p resenc e o f Ima m (A.S.). Ima m Ja 'far-as Sa d iq (A.S.)accepted his friendship, and requested him to give one thousand Ashrafis to Hisslave.This wretc hed soul (the a uthor) also requests his Ma ste r Ima m Ja'fa r-as-Sad iq (A .S.):O Master! From the day I have recognized myself I have been standing at Yourdoor. My flesh and my skin are the outcome of Your blessings. And I desire thatduring the last days of my life, You will look after me and not turn me away fromYour merciful door. How can I leave Your door, for the present honour has beengiven to m e b ec ause of Your love . O Master! May I never see that da y, when I haveto leave Your door, and go som ewhere e lse (I ma y d ie be fore this hap pe ns).

Allegory-5 Abul Qasim Raghib Isfahani writes in his book, "Zari'ah", that one day a wise manpa ssed b y the house of m a n w ho wa s sitting a t the doo r. The interior of the housewas beautiful and well decorated. But the master was in a dirty state, and wasignorant and foo lish. When the wise m a n sa w this false d ignity, he d ete sted the ma n

a nd spitted on his fac e. The m an be c ame furious and sa id , "`What a n ignob le a ndfoolish a c t yo u ha ve done . The wise m a n rep lied , "This is no t fo olishne ss, butwha teve r I have done is sound . Sa liva is throw n in the mo st d eg ra ded p la c e, and inyour entire house your fac e see me d the mo st b efitting for it". The wise ma n henc ewa rned him a ga inst ignora nc e a nd stupidity. He a dvised him, that a do rnment a ndbea utifica tion of the (p erishab le) ho use is not the wa y to sa lva tion (when the soul isnot a d orned with the orname nt of knowled ge and wisdo m). And it has to b e b ornein the mind, that knowledge without practise is vain, and the scholar who does notp rac tise wha t he p reac hes is useless. Prop het Isa (A.S.) sa ys, "The most wretc hed



amongst men is the one who is known among people for his knowledge, but isind olent with reg ard to p rac tise".

In the end of the book, the author quotes some useful supplications (dua's)for thebenefit o f the believe rs. (1) Sha ikh Mufee d in his boo k " Muq ni'a h" rela tes from Ali b inMa hziyar who q uotes Ima m M oha mm ed At-Ta q i (A.S.) as saying tha t, in the b lessedmonth of Ramazan, the recitation of this dua' every day and night is highly

recommended:

(2) Sha ikh Kulaini and other sc hola rs na rra te tha t Ima m Ja'fa r -a s-Sa d iq (A.S.) hadrec om me nded the follow ing dua ' to Zura ra b in A'yan. He (A.S.) sa id tha t this dua ' isuseful to b e rec ited by His Shi'ahs d uring the d ays of c onc ea lment (g ha iba t) to b e

saved from troubles and anxieties:

(3) It is narrated by many great scholars that to remain safe from troubles during thed ays of c onc ea lme nt, the Shia 'ah should rec ite supp lic a tions of Ima m Ma hdi (A.S.)and offer sadaqs on His behalf. One of the dua's is as follows: First praise Allah andsend b lessings upon Mo hamm ad a nd His Prog eny, then rec ite:

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